Chapter 99 The Overbearing Sect Master: Next time, I'll let you be on top, okay...?
The guests in the stands watched with gossipy expressions as the two suddenly rushed into the arena.
"That's the eldest daughter of the Qin family, I recognize her. Who's the other one?" someone whispered to their companion.
"I don't know, maybe she's Bai Ye's Daoist partner," the man guessed.
Most of the people present only knew Miss Qin, but a few had seen Zhong Jiuli before.
"Is that...that one from the Three Pure Ones Sect?" someone was exchanging thoughts with an old friend.
"Shh, don't make a sound," the man replied telepathically.
Those in the stands who recognized Zhong Jiuli's identity all tacitly remained silent.
The eldest elder of the Bai family quickly walked to Old Madam Bai's side and asked in a low voice, "Patriarch, this competition..."
Grandma Bai simply waved her hand dismissively, her gaze still fixed on the scene. "Just watch. At your age, why are you still so impatient?"
The elder silently shut his mouth, bowed and stepped back, looking at the arena with everyone else.
In the training ground, Zhong Jiuli held Bai Ye in her arms, while not far away, Qin Yanjing also held Bai Qingji, who was covered in blood. The two looked at each other across the distance, and the air was filled with the silent tension of battle.
"You shouldn't have interfered in their fight." Zhong Jiuli's calm voice carried an inherent air of authority.
"Is that how you swear?" Bai muttered softly. This isn't fierce at all!
Qin Yanjing did not respond to Zhong Jiuli; her attention was entirely on the person in her arms.
Her fingertips gently traced the crisscrossing scars on Bai Qingji's face as she choked out, "Aji, let's admit defeat, okay? Let's stop fighting. We don't need the position of young master of the Bai family. You still have me. I'll always be here for you."
Bai Qingji struggled to open his swollen eyes and stared at the girl in front of him.
She wore a phoenix-tail hairpin, a gift from him, in her jet-black hair. She was dressed in a beautiful dress and had bright lipstick on her lips. Today, she was dressed even more radiantly than usual, but at this moment, she was crying with tears streaming down her face.
"Ah Jing..." Bai Qingji said breathlessly, "Do you think I'm useless? Even though I tried my best, I still lost."
"He lost to someone who had no family to rely on and no elders to guide him."
Qin Yanjing shook her head violently, hot tears falling one after another, dripping onto Bai Qingji's blood-stained cheeks. "No, never. In my heart, you will always be that proud and dazzling Aji, the most brilliant genius in Baidi City... the entire Kyushu."
"A single win or loss is never important; no one can take away your brilliance, Bai Qingji."
She hugged Bai Qingji tighter as she spoke, "Let's stop fighting. I'll take you back to the Qin family so you can heal your wounds, okay?"
"Okay." Bai Qingji closed her eyes and answered softly.
She knew what her surrender meant: her great-grandmother would not want her, the defeated young master; there was no longer a place for her in the Bai family.
Bai Ye will become the new heir of the Bai family.
But none of that matters anymore. She's already exhausted from living for the position of young master and for her great-grandmother's expectations.
It's not a bad thing if someone can take her place and carry the banner of the Bai family. At worst, she can travel the world with A-Jing in the future.
"We're not fighting anymore, you win." Qin Yanjing announced loudly, and before the two could respond, she picked up Bai Qingji and started to leave.
Bai watched the whole thing and inexplicably felt like he had become the villain, coming to make things difficult for a young couple.
But all she really wanted was for her mother to be free.
"Bai Qingji!" Bai shouted at the top of his lungs.
Qin Yanjing paused slightly, but did not turn around. Instead, she turned to the side and asked, "Is there anything else?"
"Come closer, I have something for you," Bai called out.
Qin Yanjing hesitated for a moment, but in the end she still carried the person and walked towards Bai Ye.
Bai had previously spared her and hadn't killed Bai Qingji, which was enough to prove that the other party was indeed not a bad person.
There was no enmity between them; it was simply a difference in their positions.
From each person's perspective, there is no right or wrong in this matter.
Bai Ye took out a white jade medicine bottle from his storage ring and tossed it into Bai Qingji's arms. "This is Qin Yanjing's dowry. Here you go. Don't let her down."
She paused, looking at Bai Qingji's dejected expression, and emphasized, "Also, don't look so downcast. I've said it many times, I'm not interested in your Bai family, and no one wants to take your position as the young master."
"The position of young master is certainly important, but you need to understand one thing: what do you want this position for? If you can't even openly protect the girl you like, what's the point of having this position?"
Bai Qingji stared blankly at Bai Ye. She naturally knew about the bottle of pills that had been stolen, or rather, robbed. She hadn't expected that Bai Ye was the one who stole the pills, and she certainly hadn't expected that Bai Ye would be the one to return them.
She looked at Bai Ye with a lot of confusion in her eyes: "Do you know... if I take this pill, you will never be my match in the future?"
"Heh~" Bai scoffed disdainfully, raising her chin slightly with an air of arrogance, though given her current bruised and swollen face, she couldn't really be that proud.
“Even if you take ten bottles of pills, you still can’t beat me. And as for me, although I’ve done my fair share of wicked things, stealing someone’s dowry is just too low-class and doesn’t suit my status as the young clan leader.”
Hearing her say that, Zhong Jiuli couldn't help but smile. This girl always talked about her tribe of several hundred people. Her proud and arrogant little appearance was really cute.
Qin Yanjing blushed when she heard about the dowry. She looked at Bai Qingji shyly, hesitant to speak.
Bai Qingji met her gaze, forced a smile, and solemnly said, "Ah Jing, my Daoist partner in this life will only be you."
"Yes!" Qin Yanjing nodded emphatically, her eyes glistening with tears, and a bright smile blooming on her face.
The atmosphere among the people below eased, but Master Bai in the stands almost jumped up. He wished he could rush down onto the stage immediately, grab Bai Ye by the neck, and yell, "You don't want to steal the girl's dowry, so why don't you return my things? How dare you apply double standards?"
But with Old Lady Bai still sitting there, he dared not move.
Master Bai could only watch helplessly as Qin Yanjing and Bai Qingji flew away.
Only then did Old Madam Bai slowly rise. She looked around, a polite smile on her face, and said loudly, "Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend and witness the grand competition of my Bai family."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was crystal clear to everyone's ears.
A chorus of applause and compliments immediately erupted from the stands.
After saying just this one sentence, Old Mrs. Bai nodded slightly, turned around, and disappeared from the stands. She didn't need to worry about the rest.
The First Elder stepped forward, gathered his strength, and announced in a booming voice, "This clan competition has now officially concluded! The winner is Bai!"
After he finished shouting, he took a breath and then shouted again: "Bai Ye is the great-grandson of the head of my Bai family."
The Grand Elder's words were intended to tell the guests present that the ultimate winner of this Bai family competition would also be a direct descendant of the Bai family.
Although Bai Qingji lost, it was not at the hands of an outsider, but rather he was defeated by his own people in a friendly competition.
It's common knowledge that losing to your own people doesn't count as a real loss. We might fight to the death, our brains might be scrambled together, but behind closed doors, we can still sit down at the same table and eat together.
"The Bai family has two prodigies, their fortunes are at their peak!" a cultivator exclaimed softly.
Of course, many more people were cheering.
"Wow! Bai's doing great! Ten times the payout, he's struck it rich!!!"
"We've struck it rich!"
These cheering people are the ones who placed their bets hoping to turn a bicycle into a motorcycle, to win big with a small investment.
The cultivators who won spirit stones cheered excitedly, and among them was Miss Bai Liu, who was so happy she almost jumped for joy, her smile so wide it was almost impossible to see her eyes.
These cheers had nothing to do with Bai. As early as when Qin Yanjing carried Bai Qingji away, Zhong Jiuli had already taken her away from the training ground.
......
In the inn's private room, Bai looked around at the familiar room and belatedly realized that he had been tricked by Zhong Jiuli again.
"So you were the woman in white a few days ago? What brings you here? You're deliberately holding me back and preventing me from leaving."
"Don't speak, heal your wounds first."
With cool fingertips pressed against his lips, Bai had no choice but to close his mouth.
Zhong Jiuli gently placed the now-calm Bai on the bed, carefully loosening her blood-soaked belt and lifting the clothes that were stuck to her skin.
With his clothes off, the gruesome wound was revealed. Even though Little Green Tree had been helping to repair it, the penetrating wound on Bai's chest was still very obvious.
Bai wasn't too concerned about his wounds. Although they hurt a lot, with Xiao Lü around, no wound was incurable.
Her attention was entirely focused on the dress. "If I had known the fight would be this fierce, I wouldn't have worn this dress. What a pity, it was a gift from you."
"I'll fix it for you," Zhong Jiuli coaxed her gently. "If this robe hadn't blocked so many attacks for you, your injuries would have been much worse."
As she spoke, she made a dust-removing spell, cleaning away the bloodstains all over Bai Ye's body.
Without the bloodstains to cover it, Bai Ye's body covered in wounds looked even more gruesome, especially the penetrating wound on his chest, where the skin and flesh around the edges were somewhat shriveled.
It seemed as if a strange force was entangled within it, constantly devouring the newly formed fleshy buds.
"Your injury is a bit strange." Zhong Jiuli frowned slightly, her fingertips lightly tracing the edge of the wound, and she could feel the lingering aura of destruction on it.
She took out a small white jade bottle and poured all the medicinal powder inside into the wound.
"Hmm, it's nothing. It's probably just the residual destructive energy from the exploding star. It should dissipate in a few days," Bai guessed.
"Prop your arm up," Zhong Jiuli said softly, as she slipped a strip of white cloth through Bai Ye's back and wrapped it tightly around the wound on her chest.
Bai Ye raised his hands high, looked down at his tightly wrapped upper body, and shifted uncomfortably, muttering, "Being tied up like this makes me look like a mummy. It's uncomfortable to move at all."
“If you say another word, I’ll send you back to the Bai family, where you’ll be surrounded and beaten by those people.” Zhong Jiuli said without looking up, her hands still moving.
Bai Ye looked at Zhong Jiuli innocently and promptly changed the subject: "Speaking of which, how did you end up in Baidi City? How did you know I was in Baidi City? Were you following me?"
"The Bai family sent an invitation, inviting me to attend the ceremony." Zhong Jiuli answered, tying a knot at her chest as she finished, then lightly patted it with her hand, saying irritably, "How idle do you think I am to follow you like that!"
"I heard that your Sanqing Sect's number one genius came to Guzhou and plowed the land, causing chaos. You also took those old monsters with you. Why did they invite you here?" Bai asked, somewhat puzzled.
Zhong Jiuli raised her head, a helpless smile on her face, "Do you think the Bai family is a pushover that can be easily manipulated?"
Bai shook his head, "It doesn't seem like it. Their family seems to want to unify the nine provinces, and even wants to be the emperor."
"Then what level do you think Old Madam Bai's cultivation has reached?" Zhong Jiuli asked again.
“She’s very strong. I felt like she could see right through me just by looking at me,” Bai replied.
"That's it. Everyone knows how powerful she is. Why would I be so foolish as to deliberately provoke such a troublesome opponent?"
"Then why did you change your appearance a few days ago and lock me in the room so I wouldn't go out?" Bai was still thinking about what had happened before.
Zhong Jiuli reached out and pressed her down on the bed. "Back then, how many eyes in Baidi City were watching you and looking for you? The Bai family was also looking for you. If we let you out, wouldn't that mean you could just go and fight with people? It's the easiest way to keep an eye on you."
What she didn't say was that she didn't want to secretly follow the little tiger, fearing that she might be bullied.
"In your eyes, am I the kind of person who goes out and causes trouble all the time?" Bai said, somewhat unconvinced.
"Alright, take the pill and don't talk anymore. You need to rest." Zhong Jiuli stuffed a pill into her mouth and forcibly muted her microphone.
With a pill in his mouth, Bai mumbled, "One last question, just one last question, can you help me redeem the prize? I bet on myself to win, it's a lot of spirit stones."
Zhong Jiuli was taken aback upon hearing this, only then realizing that she seemed to have forgotten about Liu Xianyue at the Bai family.
However, judging from Boss Liu's personality, he is probably busy counting spirit stones right now and has no time to think about himself.
The thought had barely crossed my mind when someone started knocking on the guest room door. The rapid, impatient knocking made it clear who it was.
Zhong Jiuli walked over and opened the door, and sure enough, she saw Liu Xianyue standing outside with a happy expression.
"You, Zhong Jiuli, you must have forgotten about me, right!" Liu Xianyue complained, then rushed past her and headed straight for the bed. She scooped up the mummy-like Bai Ye from under the covers and shook him excitedly.
"Oh my, my little tiger! You're so amazing! Do you know how many spirit stones you've won for me?"
Bai was so dizzy from being shaken that he couldn't hear what she was saying at all.
Zhong Jiuli was exasperated and stepped forward to slap her hand away. "Be gentle, she was just seriously injured and can't take this shaking."
Liu Xianyue then noticed Bai Ye's fully covered upper body and immediately covered her mouth and giggled, "Oh my~ you little rascal, why aren't you wearing any clothes~ Your sister has seen everything~ Should your sister take responsibility or not?"
Bai forced a smile: "Boss Liu, it's been a long time. I'm so happy to see you."
"It's alright, it hasn't been too long." Liu Xianyue chuckled and pinched her cheek. "But I really miss you, little one. By the way, your aunt asked me to tell you not to rush, to recover from your injuries before going to the Bai family."
"Okay." Bai nodded honestly. "Can I exchange the spirit stones I won directly with you?"
"Tsk tsk, at such a young age, you're not learning good things, you're just gambling!" Liu Xianyue lightly patted her forehead and scolded her.
"I'll give the spirit stones to Zhong Jiuli. You should take good care of your injuries. I'll come see you again tomorrow." After she finished speaking, she swayed her slender waist and walked away with a limp.
Bai rubbed his head, which had been slapped, and looked at Zhong Jiuli with a wronged expression. "She hit me and stole my spirit stones. Why didn't you help me?"
Zhong Jiuli ignored her and took out a soft, snow-white undergarment from her storage ring and put it on her. "Put your clothes on and go to sleep."
"Oh." Bai replied softly, letting her do as she pleased.
Zhong Jiuli didn't tie her clothes tightly, leaving them loosely draped. After getting dressed, she helped Bai lie down, saying, "Alright, go to sleep."
Bai was actually exhausted, and as soon as he relaxed and lay down on the bed, he fell into a deep sleep almost instantly.
The last rays of the setting sun faded outside the window, and darkness enveloped the land.
The room was quiet, with only Bai Ye's even breathing sounding in the background.
Zhong Jiuli sat sideways on the bed, her gaze fixed on the sleeping tiger cub, as if guarding the most precious treasure in the world.
She remained motionless, watching over the room until the darkness outside faded and sunlight streamed back in, bathing the room in golden light.
Soft light fell on the bed, and the person who had been sleeping soundly with their eyes closed finally stirred.
Bai opened his eyes groggily, his mind not fully clear yet, and the first thing he saw was a woman sitting on the edge of the bed.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes, a bright smile spreading across her face. "Good morning, Zhong Jiuli."
Zhong Jiuli glanced at the sky outside the window and teased, "Not too early, I woke up just in time for dinner."
"Did you sleep for so long? No wonder I felt like I had a really long dream." Bai Ye's voice was still hoarse from just waking up.
"What did you dream about?" Zhong Jiuli asked, following her words.
"Hmm... I dreamt that I turned into a little tiger who couldn't even walk properly. I would trip and fall down every few steps on the grass. It was so silly."
Zhong Jiuli chuckled upon hearing this, but she did not interrupt. She simply listened quietly as the person beside her described the bizarre dream in a sleepy voice.
"Then... it felt like there was a really, really big tiger following me around the whole time." Bai also spread his arms to gesture. "She was probably my mother. She was very patient and always stayed with me, teaching me how to walk and even feeding me. Anyway, it was pretty happy, right?"
As she spoke, her voice gradually lowered, as if she were still immersed in a dream.
"And then?" Zhong Jiuli asked softly.
Bai scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly, "I can't remember anything after that."
"Hmm, if you can't remember, then don't think about it. Is your wound any better?" Zhong Jiuli asked, and without waiting for Bai Ye's reply, she unbuttoned her inner garment to check.
Bai let out a soft chuckle and said gently, "The way you lift my clothes without warning makes you look like a hooligan."
Zhong Jiuli chuckled and patted her chest, which was wrapped in bandages, making a muffled sound. "I was checking if your wound was still bleeding. It looks like the bleeding has stopped, so you should be fine."
Bai Ye propped himself up on the bed, turned around, and snuggled into Zhong Jiuli's arms, resting his head on her lap. He looked up at her and said, "You definitely didn't sleep with me yesterday."
"I have to keep an eye on your injuries, right?" As Zhong Jiuli spoke, her hand gently stroked Bai Ye's cheek.
Bai felt a little ticklish from her touch and tried to pull away by shrinking his chin.
Zhong Jiuli pinched her chin to prevent her from escaping, and chuckled, "Didn't you snuggle into my arms yourself? It's too late to escape now."
Bai Ye chuckled softly upon hearing this, "Haha, you sound like a domineering CEO, no, more like a domineering sect leader falling in love with me."
"Is your next move to drag this troublesome little vixen back to your Sanqing Sect? What kind of forced love is this?"
Zhong Jiuli rolled her eyes and said irritably, "Dream on."
"Of course I'm beautiful, otherwise why would you like me so much?" Bai said, reaching out to put his arm around Zhong Jiuli's waist and pulling her down onto the soft bed.
It wasn't until she lay down on the bed, completely enveloped by the person on top of her, that Zhong Jiuli realized what the little tiger was up to.
She raised her hand and pinched Bai Ye's cheek, her voice carrying a warning but lacking any real threat, "You stinky tiger...you're still injured, what nonsense are you trying to pull now?"
Bai also grasped her wrist and pressed it into the pillow, his warm lips landing on her neck, lightly touching that delicate skin.
"I didn't mean to be silly," she murmured softly. "I just thought you must be tired after staying by my bedside all night last night, so I wanted you to lie down for a while."
Warm breaths brushed against Zhong Jiuli's neck, sending shivers down her spine. An electric-like sensation coursed through her body, eventually coalescing into a warm current that flowed down to her lower abdomen.
Zhong Jiuli trembled, a suppressed moan escaping her throat, her voice tinged with barely perceptible panting, as she warned, "Bai Ye... don't be silly!"
Her response was an increasingly unrestrained kiss; soft lips slowly moved down her neck, leaving a cool, damp mark and a gradually appearing red stain.
Bai answered her question in the same way.
Zhong Jiuli's breathing became noticeably erratic. Barely maintaining her last shred of rationality, she reached out and grabbed the restless hand.
Her voice softened, carrying a hint of coaxing: "It really can't be today. Your injuries haven't fully healed yet. Let's wait until you're feeling better, okay?"
Bai paused, obediently stopping her movements. She stopped fidgeting and simply relaxed her body, softly nestled in Zhong Jiuli's arms, her cheek pressed tightly against Zhong Jiuli's chest, which was heaving violently with her rapid breathing.
"Your heart is beating so fast," she murmured.
Zhong Jiuli felt the weight pressing down on her, and her ears were burning. She said breathlessly, "If I were pressing down on you like this, your heart would beat just as fast."
Upon hearing this, Bai also looked up at her, his eyes sparkling, as if he had discovered a new continent. "So Sect Leader Zhong likes to be on top? I never knew that before!"
She paused, thought about it seriously for a moment, and then suggested, "How about next time, you can be on top?"
"Shut up!"
Zhong Jiuli finally lost her temper, her cheeks flushed red as she let out a low growl and reached out to cover the incessantly chattering mouth.
"What kind of nonsense are you thinking about all day long!?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
