She looked at him with disdain. "In that case, give him a sign."

"But..." The Cloud Mist Sword Pavilion disciple hesitated greatly, as the Pavilion Master had explicitly forbidden such a thing a few days ago.

"But what? What's the 'but'? You're such a stubborn pig-brain." Hu Rourou interrupted directly, irritably pushing aside the hesitant disciple, and casually picked up a wooden plaque and tossed it to Mu Yang.

She glanced at it and saw number 56. It's tomorrow's show.

...

Over here, after being treated to a raw radish feast by the Sword Saint of Qinglang, Shen Jiao declared that she never wanted to eat radishes again in her life, as the last bit of oil in her stomach had been washed away and left tasteless.

The more she tried not to, the more the Sword Saint Qinglang felt that she was being polite and embarrassed. He generously pulled up more than a dozen large radishes and even thoughtfully washed them clean so she could pack them up and take them with her.

"Thank you so much." Shen Jiao could only manage to utter these few words after struggling for a long time.

Qinglang Sword Pavilion and Ji Yan had a private conversation. Perhaps worried that she would be bored by herself, Qinglang Sword Pavilion brought her a bunch of tattered books to flip through. Then, the Tyrant casually picked up a book, flipped through it, and tossed it to her.

Hmm? Does the tyrant want her to read it and then retell it to him?

Shen Jiao remained silent. To be honest, even her mother didn't like to urge her to study as much as the tyrant did. If the tyrant stopped being emperor, he could open a tutoring class and send her straight to Peking University, Tsinghua University, or the Central Academy of Drama.

This pile of books looks very old. To be precise, it shouldn't be called books, but rather travel diaries bound together. Some are thin, some are thick. Shen Jiao thought they were the strange sights and experiences of the Qinglang Sword Saint during his travels around the world. The kind of book that would broaden one's knowledge by just one glance.

Forced to study, she casually flipped to the first page, intending to start memorizing from the first paragraph. As she looked at it, she suddenly sat up abruptly. Wow, this wasn't some boring and dull account at all; it was clearly a collection of gossip about various sects! She wanted to pack up a few more stacks to take back and examine in detail.

The book says that Hu Rourou's mother died in childbirth. Hu Rourou? Shen Jiao lazily nestled on the bench, squinting as she recalled that Hu Rourou's reputation along the way was no less than Yu Wushuang's. She must be a rather powerful figure in the Cloud Mist Sword Pavilion.

The road to success for many?

Hu Rourou was a premature baby, weighing less than five pounds at birth. She was as thin as a monkey. If she caught a chill, she would be as if she had ingested several bowls of arsenic. She could easily die. Fortunately, the head of the Songheng Sect was a skilled doctor, and with the help of many rare medicinal pills from the Cloud Mist Sword Pavilion, she was able to be saved from the brink of death many times.

For this reason, Sect Leader Songheng cherished and doted on Hu Rourou, treating her with utmost care and affection. He was afraid she would melt in his mouth or break in his hands. From childhood to adulthood, he worried that she might get hurt or injured, and that she might be bullied by outsiders because her swordsmanship was not strong enough.

Although Hu Rourou was born sickly, fortunately, she had a hardworking father who took care of her every need. With the help of proper nutrition and care, she gradually recovered her health and became as healthy as a normal person.

However, due to the excessive time spent recuperating her body, Hu Rourou missed the best age to learn martial arts. No matter how hard she worked or how long she trained in the future, she could not catch up with the level of those around her.

This issue became a thorn in the side of Sect Leader Songheng.

What if my daughter isn't strong enough? What if she gets bullied?

So, Sect Leader Songheng spent his days and nights thinking about how to solve this problem. He thought about it in the morning, at noon, and at night, without sleep or rest. He was so exhausted that he went mad and lost his mind, almost killing his fellow disciples. In the end, it was the handsome and dashing Sword Saint Qinglang who stepped in to calm the storm and prevent it from escalating.

The handsome and dashing Qinglang Sword Saint? Upon seeing this, Shen Jiao's lips twitched. She could roughly guess who had come up with this sect gossip. She continued reading.

After the sect leader Songheng went mad with internal energy, his health deteriorated significantly, and he was on the verge of death. So, on an auspicious night, the sect leader Songheng, who had only a sliver of reason left, decided to do something truly moving: to love a child, one must give the child everything one has!

Despite everyone's advice and opposition, he insisted on passing on all his internal energy accumulated over decades to Hu Rourou.

Unfortunately, Hu Rourou, being a naturally weak vessel, could not withstand such a powerful force. After receiving only half of it, she bled from all seven orifices, and her body seemed to be on the verge of exploding. She cried out that she could not withstand it. Sect Leader Songheng was forced to stop but suffered a backlash and died on the spot from vomiting blood.

Oh, from a single-parent family to an orphan in an instant.

Because of Laozi's sacrifice to heaven, Hu Rourou suddenly gained boundless magical power. With the added power of more than ten years of cultivation, her swordsmanship was like a cheat code, soaring to new heights. Skills that other disciples needed three months of training to master, she could learn in a month and a half. In just a few years, she squeezed into the ranks of the top twenty martial arts masters.

Upon seeing this, Shen Jiao's expression changed from "Holy crap" to "Holy crap." The first expression was shock, and the second was admiration. This Songheng Sect Leader is a ruthless person. Others spoil their children and the children become useless, but he spoiled his children and ruined himself, and still managed to raise A Dou.

It's more than just being a "cow" (牛).

But why did Ji Yan choose this kind of book for her to read? Could it be that even a tyrant likes to gossip?

Also, isn't the Azure Sword Saint the master of the Cloud Mist Sword Pavilion? With such a lofty status, why doesn't he save the world and instead loves to gossip?

Shen Jiao looked at the pile of junk. It must have been circulated countless times. She couldn't help but fall into deep thought. It was like someone who was dating early and was called to the principal's office for a talk. They thought they were going to be criticized, but the principal didn't say anything after listening. Instead, he secretly wrote their sweet love story into a book and invited everyone to gossip.

The conversation between Qinglang Sword Saint and Ji Yan was quick. She had only finished reading Hu Rourou's gossip post when the two returned. She didn't know what they talked about, but she wasn't curious or wanted to ask. The main reason was that the tyrant's face looked dark and sinister. If he weren't handsome enough, he would really look like Zhong Kui.

As soon as the Sword Saint of Qinglang returned, he said he wanted to fight her.

Shen Jiao: Fight now? Are you kidding me? I was so excited to discuss the melon patch with you, and you're telling me to fight first? That's really a downer.

"Your Majesty, I'm full but haven't finished digesting yet." Shen Jiao shrank behind Ji Yan. What's the point of fighting? The Qinglang Sword Saint could even subdue the crazed sect leader, isn't she just asking for trouble?

The tyrant showed no mercy and dragged her out, saying, "A fight will resolve this. Don't worry, if he kills you, I'll kill him."

Shen Jiao: "..." No need, please let me die, I'll haunt you even as a ghost.

Shen Jiao was new to the area and had never seen or experienced any martial arts competitions. Qinglang Sword Saint was a meticulous person and specially took her to an open space in the back mountain.

Ji Yan followed closely behind, leisurely and carefree. Compared to her, who looked like she was going to the execution ground, he was like an unreliable parent sending their child to take an exam. He was really unreliable because there were many wild radishes growing by the roadside, and the tyrant's hands, which were itching with boredom, began to itch again.

Seeing Shen Jiao's resentful gaze, he elegantly pulled out a radish with his slender hand and asked her, "I really can't do anything with you. Go ahead and gnaw on it if you want."

Shen Jiao: "???" My life is in danger? And you want me to eat a radish covered in mud?

All the radishes in the world should die!