30. The Pride of Heaven (Part Two)

◎This is how she truly came to be. ◎

This person is Ming Yu, a disciple of Qingxiao Sect. He and Lou Tinglan are both disciples of Qingxiao Sect Leader Qian Zhong.

However, when the two participated in the selection of Yunya Academy together, Lou Tinglan stood out on the first try, while Mingyu failed to be selected every time she participated.

Seeing Lou Tinglan's denial, Mingyu raised her voice slightly: "I'm talking nonsense?"

"It was one thing for my junior brother to invite that female disciple into his study, but he also wrote a recommendation for her, worried that she would have nowhere to go, and even suggested that she stay on Falling Snow Peak. How come I didn't know that my junior brother was such a considerate and thoughtful person?"

"Or is it because of someone else..."

Lou Tinglan interrupted indifferently, "Senior brother knows perfectly well that I cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness."

He didn't understand why everyone thought he had feelings for Ran Qinghe, and that his feelings for her were merely a way of repaying a debt of gratitude. However, he was unwilling to explain these things aloud.

Those who are clean will be clean by themselves.

Mingyu was speechless at his words. "Oh, is that so?"

He slowly drew out the last syllable, seemingly with a hint of mockery.

“Speaking of which, that female disciple is indeed exceptionally beautiful, with a pure and ethereal beauty, a fairy-like appearance, and a lovely face…” The more idioms Mingyu uttered, the more uncomfortable Lou Tinglan felt.

"Moreover, I inexplicably felt an instant connection with this female disciple..."

Lou Tinglan couldn't help but interrupt again, saying, "She was originally a disciple of Qingxiao, under Elder Xi, named Ran Qinghe."

Mingyu was surprised, then couldn't help but laugh out loud after thinking for a moment: "Ah, I remember now, that extraordinary woman who destroyed Elder Xi's spiritual vein on Qingzheng Peak."

The fact that Ran Qinghe destroyed the spiritual vein after requesting to leave the sect is known to everyone in the sect.

At that time, rumors were rampant within the sect. Some said that Elder Xi was abusing his power and that Ran Qinghe was unable to bear it and left in a huff. Others said that she was ungrateful and treacherous, having received all the sect's kindness before betraying it. The rumors were numerous, but they could not piece together her true self.

"Oh, right!" Mingyu suddenly remembered something, snapped her paper fan shut, and said excitedly, "I saw that she just gave you the spirit leaf. Since you don't need it anyway, why don't you give it to me? I can get to know her better."

Lou Tinglan, right in front of him, slowly put the spirit leaf from her sleeve into her storage bag and said:

"If you plan to return to Qingxiao after this year's selection trials, then feel free to chat with me here for a month."

Mingyu scratched his head, then took out a fan and fanned himself vigorously with both fans, saying worriedly, "Tinglan, you know Master's temper. Although he doesn't say anything on the surface, if I fail to be selected again this year and embarrass him, he might already be thinking about how to expel me from the sect."

Lou Tinglan calmly ground the ink, replying, "Don't worry, Senior Brother, Master wouldn't do that."

Mingyu tucked the two folding fans into her waistband, took the inkstone from his hand, and asked casually but deliberately, "Will you be in charge of proctoring this year's selection? What about the exam questions? Have they been decided? What format will it be this year—a written test, a martial arts test, or a trial in a secret realm?"

He asked several questions in a row, but Lou Tinglan's only answers were: "Yes, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know."

He knew nothing when asked.

Mingyu said dejectedly, "It's really not my fault for being lazy and unprepared. The elders in your Discipline Hall who set the questions are really strange."

"The first time, I mastered swordsmanship and talismans, but the test turned into a test on identifying medicinal herbs and refining pills. The second time, I went to Bai Xu for further training, but the test turned into a test on the art of formations. The third time, I became proficient in formations, but the test turned into a test on beast taming. The fourth time, I finally managed to get a contracted spirit beast from Fei Feng, but the test turned into a written test..."

If the selection process at Yunya Academy is considered rigorous, it is indeed rigorous. Each selection and assessment only selects five disciples from among the numerous applicants from the five sects. If it is considered arbitrary, the content of the examination questions is indeed boundless and unpredictable.

"Forget it, forget it, I'm too lazy to talk to you, you babbling idiot. Which direction did Junior Sister Ran go just now? Such an extraordinary person, I must get to know her."

While Lou Tinglan was painting, he replied absentmindedly, "Southeast corner inside the peak."

*

Coincidentally, the southeast direction was precisely where the disciples of Qingxiao Sect were staying. Because the selection exam covered a wide range of topics, each sect would often send its disciples to the Discipline Hall in advance to facilitate exchanges and mutual learning among the disciples of the five sects.

Ran Qinghe was also caught off guard. She had just chosen a courtyard to stay in and registered it when she bumped into Xi Qi and his group.

She pretended not to see it, intending to let the matter rest, but others might not think so.

"Oh, who do we have here? Isn't this Senior Sister Qinghe, who betrayed her sect and is confined to the Tower of Babel?" A voice, deliberately exaggerated in surprise and mixed with undisguised sarcasm, rang out from behind.

Ran Qinghe paused slightly. Without turning around, she knew who the voice belonged to—Zhao Gan, a good dog by Xi Qi's side.

With the selection process imminent, she had no intention of causing trouble, yet people kept coming to her of their own accord. She curled her lips into a smile, turned around innocently, and said, "Oh, who are you? I've never seen you before."

Ran Qinghe was originally an inner disciple under Elder Xi Shu of Qingxiao. After she left, Zhao Gan, an outer disciple, had the opportunity to fill the vacancy.

Such a casual remark made Zhao Gan jump up and down in anger.

"I am now an inner disciple under Elder Xi, Zhao Gan." He was led astray by her, and introduced himself through gritted teeth, even deliberately emphasizing the words "inner disciple".

Ran Qinghe feigned sudden realization: "Oh, I see. I remember now. When I was in the sect, I often saw you sweeping the courtyard and serving tea and water for Xi Qi. What, you've come to the Discipline Hall with him? He's quite spoiled."

Zhao Gan glanced guiltily at Xi Qi beside him, and seeing his displeasure, he quickly stopped talking and snorted coldly, "Hmph... I'm too lazy to argue with a woman."

Ran Qinghe pretended to ponder: "If I remember correctly, the Second Elder of the Discipline Hall, Lou Guan, was also a woman as the examiner for this assessment. Could it be that this fellow Daoist harbors some dissatisfaction with the Second Elder?"

Another seemingly unintentional remark drew sidelong glances and angry stares from several disciples of the Discipline Hall who were passing by.

After Zhao Gan hurriedly explained, he turned around and saw that the instigator, Ran Qinghe, had already left. He was furious and threw out a talisman.

Ran Qinghe instantly sensed the fluctuations of spiritual energy behind her, dodged it, and with a flick of her wrist, precisely grasped the talisman that had not yet been fully activated—

Her eyes flashed and fixed on Zhao Gan, who was furious after his sneak attack failed. She raised the talisman into the air and examined it carefully for a moment.

Strange, this talisman looks familiar. The runes are crooked and twisted, like drunken earthworms. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her. She suddenly remembered that this talisman seemed to be the one she drew when she was in Qingxiao. The reason was simple: no one else could draw a talisman with such rugged strokes that it would still work.

How interesting, using the talisman she drew to ambush her.

Xi Qi had not expected Zhao Gan to do this. Seeing that more and more disciples were gathering around, in order to prevent things from escalating, he stepped in front of Zhao Gan and said, "I'm sorry, Qing He, Zhao Gan made a mistake."

He then turned to Zhao Gan and shouted sternly, "Hurry up and apologize to Junior Sister Ran!"

Ran Qinghe scoffed, "There's no need for such insincere apologies. You lot, give my things back."

Zhao Gan said angrily, "What do you mean 'your stuff'? You're just talking nonsense, you think you can just say whatever you want?"

Ran Qinghe held the talisman between her two fingers and waved it: "This talisman was drawn by me, so it is naturally mine. It's ridiculous that you can't even use someone else's talisman to launch a sneak attack because you're not skilled enough."

Behind her, Lou Tinglan stood far away. He had just arrived and saw her baring her teeth and brandishing her claws, so he knew that nothing was wrong. He knew about her old grudge with Qingxiao and was in no hurry to interfere.

Mingyu, who arrived later, rushed as fast as he could but still fell behind. He thought to himself: He said he had no interest in people, but as soon as he heard that someone was in trouble, he rushed over immediately.

Mingyu couldn't help but tease, "You've come all this way, why didn't you come up and help?"

Lou Tinglan replied, "She's very quick-witted and has her own way of handling things; we don't need to interfere."

The two of them turned their gaze to the center of the crowd.

Zhao Gan, standing in the center of the crowd, was blushing furiously. The talisman had been given to him by Xi Qi. He looked at Xi Qi, but Xi Qi simply lowered his gaze and remained silent. He could only brace himself and argue, "This is the talisman I drew. If you say it's yours, then it's yours. How can you prove it?"

Ran Qinghe raised her right eyebrow almost imperceptibly. "Oh?" she said slowly and deliberately. "You said you drew this talisman, so you must be able to control it freely."

Zhao Gan snorted coldly, recalled the talisman between her fingers, and said arrogantly, "Of course, it's just controlling a small talisman."

Ran Qinghe immediately turned the tables: "So, you can control the talisman with ease, what so-called momentary lapse in judgment, wasn't it intentional?"

"In your opinion, Immortal Lord Yilou, how should we properly handle the incident of someone being injured in the Discipline Hall?"

Her gaze swept across the crowd and locked onto that white-gold figure.

With things escalating to this point, Xi Qi finally stepped in, trying to smooth things over like a good-natured person: "Qinghe, I'm sorry, it was Junior Brother Zhao's inappropriate words and actions that offended you."

Zhao Gan stiffened his head and turned it to one side.

"I apologize to you on behalf of Junior Brother Zhao."

Ran Qinghe coldly replied, "Oh, I don't accept it."

Lou Tinglan walked forward slowly, and the disciples of the Discipline Hall made way for him, bowing respectfully and saying, "Senior Brother Lou."

He nodded and instructed the group, "Please escort this Qingxiao disciple back to the sect." His words were polite, but the implication was that he wanted to disqualify him from the selection process.

Zhao Gan said in disbelief, "So the Discipline Hall also shows favoritism. How come only my qualification was revoked? What about Ran Qinghe?"

Lou Tinglan said, "According to the rules of the Discipline Hall, anyone who actively provokes trouble during the academy's selection process will be banned from selection for five years. Anyone who actively provokes trouble and appeals will be banned for ten years. If they still appeal, the ban will continue to increase. Do you have any objections?"

Zhao Gan: ...Doesn't this imply that if he says one more word, he will be banned from elections for another five years?

He left angrily, and the crowd gradually dispersed.

Ran Qinghe: "If you enjoy watching plays so much, Immortal Lord, I'll bring you a stool to sit on next time. Wouldn't that be even more pleasant?"

Her tone was barbed, like an annoyed cat baring its claws.

Lou Tinglan was speechless again by her words, but for some reason, he suddenly felt a little happy. When Ran Qinghe thanked him politely earlier, he felt that a thick, impenetrable barrier had been built between them.

Now that she's at odds with him again, he suddenly feels that this is the real her.