Chapter 19. The two of them "tacitly" didn't...

The two tacitly avoided mentioning the discussions around them.

Of course, Xie Baoqiong was also curious about Lin Zhechun's strength, which was why those sorcerers/demon cultivators praised him so highly.

He never imagined that there were powerful cultivators in the mortal world.

Thinking of this, a hint of worry inevitably appeared in his puzzled gaze.

Lin Zhechun noticed the change in his emotions, and a voice echoed in his mind: [Do not make a sound, or we may not be able to get out today.]

He breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Lin Zhechun's strength wasn't that great after all. He nodded and let Lin Zhechun take him to another place.

"Qiong'er?" Another voice pulled him back to reality.

He let go of Lin Zhechun's sleeve and ran towards Xie Zhuo in the crowd: "Father."

Xie Zhuo touched his face, which was a little cool from the night breeze.

A hint of wariness flashed in Xie Zhuo's eyes, but when he looked up at Lin Zhechun, the emotion in his eyes had faded, though his words still betrayed his thoughts:

"The Imperial Preceptor seems to be quite free these days. I wonder why he's spending time with my son?"

Lin Zhechun, assuming he understood the implied meaning in Xie Zhuo's words, replied:

"We just happened to run into him. I figured he was here to see you, so I brought him along."

"Then I thank the Imperial Preceptor."

"Now that I've delivered the person, I won't linger any longer," Lin Zhechun said.

"Grand Preceptor, please wait." Xie Zhuo stopped Lin Zhechun. At the same time, he patted Xie Baoqiong, who was standing next to him, and pointed in the direction:

"Father has something to discuss with the Imperial Advisor. Qiong'er, go find the Princess first. Father will come to find you later."

As Xie Baoqiong left, she glanced back and saw that neither Xie Zhuo nor Lin Zhechun had spoken.

When I tried to see it again, it was completely blocked by the crowd.

"I've heard, what does Father want to say to the Imperial Advisor?"

"Young Master, I don't know either."

He looked away and found Lin Yu as Xie Zhuo had instructed.

"Grandmother".

Hearing his voice, Lin Yu looked in the direction of the sound, her eyes filled with joy.

"Qiong'er! Come, come to your grandmother." Lin Yu beckoned to him and instructed the maid to set out a chair.

Lin Yu glanced at Wen Feng behind him and probed indirectly:

"When I saw your father in the early morning, he said you were still asleep. At dusk, he said you were sleeping in the tent. Are you feeling unwell?"

Upon Lin Yu's mention, Xie Baoqiong paused slightly.

When they were in Sishui Mountain, time seemed to stand still. He and Su Xiaochun would often find a grassy spot and sleep until the moon was high in the sky.

After he came down the mountain, he spent most of his time sleeping, except when he was gathering information.

If Lin Yu hadn't pointed it out, he really wouldn't have thought there was anything wrong with it.

Seeing the worry in Lin Yu's eyes deepen, he quickly said, "No, I just rode a horse with my brother this morning and felt sleepy in the afternoon."

As he finished speaking, another voice suddenly interrupted their conversation:

"Elder sister, children this age are always making a fuss. If they get tired of playing around, they'll need to sleep more."

Xie Baoqiong looked towards the person who spoke, and the person appeared to be about the same age as Xie Zhuo.

Noticing his gaze, the man's eyes slowly moved from Lin Yu to him, scanning him up and down. His eyes were deep and dark, and his appearance did bear a resemblance to Lin Yu's.

"Royal sister, who is this child?" Lin An's gaze finally settled on his face.

"The Marquis of Yongshun's residence." Lin Yu seemed unwilling to deal with Lin An's enthusiasm and casually replied.

Lin An's expression visibly faltered, and his tone was no longer as cheerful as before: "I am from an old fiefdom and am not very familiar with things in the capital. Has Lord Xie remarried?"

Lin Yu glanced at Lin An but didn't reply. She then looked at Xie Baoqiong beside her and coughed lightly twice.

Lin An understood Lin Yu's meaning, looked at Xie Baoqiong, and just opened his mouth as if to say something, when a commotion suddenly broke out in the room.

The words that were about to come out of his mouth changed to farewell: "The competition has begun, so I won't disturb you any longer, Your Highness."

After everyone left, Xie Baoqiong recalled the gaze that had fallen on her and asked, "Grandmother, who was that?"

“King Xuan is my youngest brother. He usually stays in his fiefdom and was only summoned back to the capital for this spring sacrifice,” Lin Yu said.

Having obtained the answer, he focused his attention on the center of the field.

Lin Yu's location offers a great view, with no obstructions in front, allowing him to take in the entire scene.

The campfire in the center of the area was still burning brightly, and the burning wood crackled from time to time.

Four figures leaped into the arena one after another, their shouts making the bonfire burn even brighter.

He glanced up and swept his eyes over the four people.

The man and woman dressed in Western Region attire had almost indistinguishable faces; they must be the twins Chishong had mentioned.

His gaze did not linger on the twins, but instead turned to the other two figures.

However, Chishong was nowhere to be seen. The two people opposite the twins were both women, and they looked somewhat alike, appearing to be sisters.

His idea was quickly confirmed, as the maidservant serving Lin Yu whispered:

"Our side will have two young ladies from the Xue family on stage. The more mature one is named Xue Xian, and the other is named Xue Miao. Both of them have been learning magic since childhood."

The two from the Western Regions are said to be the holy son and holy daughter of the tribe, surnamed Sang…

The maid's words were drowned out by the sudden sound of a gong.

He withdrew his gaze from searching for Chishong and became engrossed in the battle.

The next second, all the figures that were standing in the field disappeared from their original positions.

Before anyone could appear, the sound of metal clashing reached their ears first.

The first one to reappear was the slightly more mature of the two sisters.

Xue Xian held two hooks in her hand, and with a flick of her wrist, she knocked away the silver needles in mid-air.

The silver needles, reflecting the firelight of the campfire, pierced straight into the ground.

But another figure immediately appeared behind the silver needle.

Sang flicked her finger, and the silver needle, as thin as a hair, flew up from the ground again.

Another similar face appeared behind Sang Ji, with a purple-gold bell in Sang Wei's pale hand.

Sang Wei's wrist trembled.

"bite"

The bell rang hollowly and lingered, but the moment it rang, a dark cloud rose from the ground beneath Sangwei's feet.

Countless insects and snakes surged forth from that land.

Many people who caught a glimpse of that scene looked away, unable to bear watching.

"Qiong'er, are you scared?" Xie Baoqiong was engrossed in watching when she heard Lin Yu's voice and her attention was diverted.

"Grandma, I'm not afraid."

He answered in this way, but Lin Yu, seeing his eyes gleaming as he looked at the Gu worm, suddenly sighed:

"If you see insects or snakes in the future, even if they are not Gu insects, you must not touch them."

"I understand, Grandmother."

...

Even as the two were talking, the contest of wits continued in the arena.

The group of insects and snakes that emerged from the soil split into two groups. One group rushed towards Xue Xian, while the other group piled up behind Sang Wei, forming a black wall.

Many people were puzzled by Sang Wei's inexplicable actions, but the next second a pair of golden rings carrying a wave of air were blocked by the "black wall".

The last person on the field finally came into view.

Xue Miao made a hand seal, and the golden ring swept across the black wall, knocking down a pile of Gu worms, which flew out from the gaps in the swarm of insects that were enveloping them.

The two exchanged a few blows, one openly and one covertly, and the next moment after separating, they were locked in combat again, evenly matched for a time.

Until a sudden turning point arrived.

Xue Miao, who was controlling the Golden Ring and fighting against Sang Wei, disappeared without a trace. When she reappeared, she appeared in front of Sang Ji and drew a short blade from her sleeve to attack Sang Ji's face.

When the blade was less than a foot away from Sang Ji, Sang Ji showed no panic. He raised his sleeve and blew out a wisp of pale purple smoke.

Xue Miao paused, then made a move to retreat.

But in the next moment, the knife in her hand flipped, lying across Sang Ji's neck, leaving a red bloodstain.

"Little sister!"

Sangwei shouted, and the black mist rising from his body exploded. The inky smoke transformed into a butterfly shape, flapped its wings, and sprayed inky scales in all directions.

In no time, the black mist completely enveloped the area, and it seemed to be spreading towards the people outside the area.

The scene in the field was no longer visible to the naked eye. Xie Baoqiong glanced at the black mist that was gradually approaching in front of her, her body tensed, and spiritual energy was slightly gathered at her fingertips.

The black fog grew thicker, and the cheers from the crowd outside gradually faded. Occasionally, the sound of insects gnawing could be heard, sending a chill down everyone's spine.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Suddenly, a dark silver light flashed from the black mist and came toward his face.

With a slight twitch of his fingertips, spiritual energy poured out to intercept the oncoming danger.

At the same time, Lin Yu, who was beside him, slammed his hand on the table, causing it to tilt and rise into the air, blocking his way.

"Guards, protect the Emperor!" The moment Lin Yu made his move, a maid's shout rang out.

His body was also pulled up by the crowd and pushed backward.

His movements were interrupted, and the spiritual energy that had left his body dissipated into the air.

But the silver needle flying in mid-air was cut in half and fell to the ground.

There were two auras emanating from the attack, one of which was somewhat familiar, resembling that of Lin Zhechun not long ago.

Before he could think it through, the clothes that were partially obscuring his view suddenly changed their style.

He was pulled into another embrace, the faint scent of apricot blossoms enveloping him. His ear was pressed against her chest, and his heart was pounding wildly and erratically.

The voice coming from above was calm, as if it were not from the same person as the panicked heartbeat:

"Qiong'er, are you hurt?"

"Father, I'm fine." His eyes were calm, showing no sign of being startled or flustered.

Xie Zhuo lowered his eyes and stared into those calm eyes for a while. He didn't say anything more, but with an unreadable expression, he touched Xie Rongjing's hair and handed him over to Xie Rongjing, who had just arrived.

"I'll go handle the rest of the matters. Wen Feng, you stay and watch over the young master and the heir."

"yes."

With this incident, the competition was naturally suspended, and Xie Zhuo is likely to be quite busy from now on.

After giving a few more instructions, Xie Zhuo hurriedly left.

"Qiong'er, shall we go back first?" He was watching Xie Zhuo's departing figure when Xie Rongjing suddenly tugged at his hand.

The crowd gradually dispersed, and there was nothing left to see, so he had no objection and followed Xie Rongjing back.

Before leaving, the black mist that had been spreading in the area was cleared away by several people, revealing the four people in the area.

None of the four were in good condition. Xue Miao's exposed skin had turned a strange reddish-purple, while Sang Wei, who was casting the spell, was also covered in a dark purple hue, leaning against Sang Ji.

The other two were in no better shape, their clothes stained with blood.

He glanced at it twice, then Xie Rongjing blocked his view: "Qiong'er, let's go back."

A note from the author:

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