Chapter 880 Where there are women, there is martial arts world
"It was just a dream, why are you still reminiscing? Don't scare yourselves. Come on, Sister Song, Brother Liu, Brother Sha, Young Master Lu, let's eat something."
Yu Xiaoniangzi chuckled and smoothed things over, breaking the silence in the five-person room.
She was an optimist; she took out a bag of pastries and distributed them to everyone.
"Well, luckily I brought extra food today. I didn't expect the third test to take so long. After the second test, it was almost noon, and I thought I could go back and rest early today."
Miss Song looked lost in thought, not just because of the nightmare.
She vaguely remembered the latter part of the dream, in which a tall, slender figure appeared, grabbed her wrist from the mud puddle, and pulled her out of her struggling predicament with an air of undeniable authority. They walked forward, seemingly taking quite a few steps...
It appeared to be a man, with large and somewhat rough hands.
Song Zhian had forgotten what the person looked like. She seemed to be surprised when she saw him in her dream, but now that she was awake, she had completely forgotten him and could not recall him at all.
The only thing she remembers most vividly now is that his palms were warm.
It wasn't the damp warmth that makes you sweat, but rather the feeling of lying on a sunny beach—comfortable, warm, and surprisingly reassuring…
Song Zhian was naturally very sensitive to subtle sensations. She searched her memory but couldn't find a similar feeling of her wrist being gripped. However, the sensation was etched in her mind, and if it happened again, she would recognize it...
Coming to her senses, Song Zhian nodded slightly:
“That’s right. Young Master Lu, in my hometown, dreams are the opposite of what we expect; nightmares aren’t necessarily a bad thing.”
Sha Ergou quickly nodded as well:
"That's right, that's right, it's definitely the opposite. My dream was the same. Nightmares are the ones you can't believe."
Ouyang Rong raised his head, his thoughts returning to normal.
Just then, a commotion came from the entrance of the passageway not far behind them.
Senior Sister Yuan returned with ten teenagers. Some of them staggered, seemingly still in a daze and not yet fully awake from the nightmare.
These are the very last batch of examinees.
Also among the boys participating in the Bamboo Hall assessment was the dark-skinned boy named Ahong.
Ten people either held or wanted to hang their achievement plaques.
Ouyang Rong and the other four people glanced at them sideways.
Not only those who were nearby noticed, but the girls gathered in the Drip Cave hall also lowered their chatter by several decibels.
They all took note of the return of the last batch of examinees.
Senior Sister Yuan left the ten boys behind, coldly passing by Ouyang Rong and the others, and went to the foot of the platform. She talked with her Yue female companions, discussing something. One of the Yue females turned around and walked into a passageway, her destination unknown.
The other Yue women, including Senior Sister Yuan, remained standing still, waiting for something, and did not silence the boys and girls inside the cave.
At this moment, Song Zhian, having withdrawn her gaze, spoke softly:
"The list of those who passed the assessment should be released soon."
Apart from Ouyang Rong, Lu, Yu, and Sha immediately tensed up.
Even Lady Yu quietly put away her pastry bag.
The five of them have now emerged from the somber atmosphere of their recent discussion about nightmares.
They held their breath and waited anxiously for the return of the Yue women.
Ouyang Rong silently took the bamboo tube from his waist and handed it to the tense crowd:
"Have some water."
Sha Ergou swallowed hard, then immediately took the slightly heavy bamboo tube and tilted his head back to drink a mouthful.
"Don't kiss."
Ouyang Rong gave some instructions.
He noticed that the eyes of Song and Yu were also fixed on the bamboo tube.
Lu Jinghong waved his hand, not drinking, and seemed somewhat absent-minded.
Yu Xiaoniangzi was the first to take the bamboo tube, happily took a sip, breathed a sigh of relief, and then passed it to Song Zhian.
"Thank you, Brother Liu."
Song Zhian politely took a small sip and glanced at the bamboo tube.
She changed the subject to ease the tension on the field:
"Brother Liu carries this with him at all times?"
"Of course, when we went fishing, we always brought food and water, just in case we got lost, better safe than sorry..."
Sha Ergou answered first, took out a small bundle, took out some dry food from it, and distributed it to everyone.
It's dinner time now.
Meanwhile, inside the Dripping Water Cave, the voices of the crowd gradually grew louder. The Yue maiden who had left had not yet returned, and some impatient, lively girls had already begun to whisper among themselves.
However, the cave was dimly lit and colorful, making everyone feel like they were on a school playground after dark, unable to see their faces clearly.
While Song, Yu, and the others were eating, Ouyang Rong began to look around at the girls.
It seemed to be searching for a slender figure.
The newcomers who have completed the third stage of the assessment are all here. They usually live on two separate islands, but this is a rare opportunity for them to gather together.
Logically, Aqing should be here too.
However, Ah Qing is a quiet person, and it's unclear whether she's hiding in some corner or with new friends.
At this moment, Ouyang Rong noticed a group of young women approaching them.
The young woman leading the group was quite tall, about the same height as Song Zhian, but not as slender. She had a bit of baby fat on her face, making her look more youthful and energetic. She also had two ponytails that fell over her shoulders, making her look pure and lovely.
However, the environment inside the Dripping Water Cave was dim, and this group of young women stopped in front of the five people, so their expressions could not be seen clearly.
The girl with pigtails who was leading the group was surrounded by about a dozen girls, who treated her like a star surrounded by the moon.
"Yu Mili, all you ever do is eat."
The girl with pigtails seemed to be speaking towards them.
"Sister Chen."
Miss Yu called out and politely offered the pastries:
Are you hungry too?
The young woman, referred to as "Sister Chen," ignored her and turned her head to look in Ouyang Rong's direction.
Ouyang Rong was slightly taken aback, then realized that she was probably looking at Song Zhian behind him, but the two of them happened to be looking in the same direction.
The girl with pigtails didn't hold back and asked directly:
"Song Zhi'an, how many steps did you take in the third level?"
Her voice was as clear and melodious as a nightingale's.
Song Zhian glanced at her expression and answered softly:
"Ninety-two steps, that's probably not as impressive as Sister Chen's."
The girl with pigtails didn't speak, but a round-faced girl beside her nodded and said crisply:
"Indeed, she's not as good as our Sister Chen. She walked 101 steps in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, which is probably the best result among our group."
The round-faced girl spoke with a mixture of envy and pride:
"Leaving aside the first stage of leaving Peach Valley and achieving a top-notch score within a hundred breaths, just the ability to walk more than a hundred steps in the Yangxin Hall and enter the inner hall area in the third stage is enough to become a disciple of the Queen."
Song Zhian remained calm and nodded in agreement, "Sister Chen is really amazing."
Lady Yu interjected and asked:
"Where's that tattooed girl? How do you know Sister Chen is the first place winner of the third round, given how many steps she took?"
Next to the girl surnamed Chen, another girl pouted and said with dissatisfaction:
Why do you care so much about other people?
Lady Yu retorted sarcastically, "Aren't you all asking around and meddling in other people's business too?"
"you……"
Just as they were about to start arguing, a short girl hurriedly returned. She seemed to be one of the girls in the group. The short girl leaned close to the girl with pigtails and whispered something in her ear.
The previously relaxed and nonchalant "Sister Chen" tilted her head slightly, her expression changing slightly. She turned to her friend and asked in a serious tone:
Are you sure?
The short girl nodded quickly:
"Yes, yes, there were people in the same group who saw her wooden sign when they came back together. It was in the hundreds... The number was too long, and the wooden sign couldn't hold it all..."
"Alright, that's enough."
The girl with pigtails glanced in a certain direction in the hall and suddenly waved her hand to interrupt.
The atmosphere quieted down a bit.
Song and Yu exchanged a glance, the two women seemingly lost in thought.
The girl with pigtails turned around and noticed that the two women's eyes were gradually turning into smiles.
Suddenly, the girl with pigtails pointed at Ouyang Rong, Lu Jinghong, and Sha Ergou, her little face stern:
"What are you laughing at? You two are playing with these boys from Zhutang, and you still have the nerve to laugh?"
She glanced at the bamboo tube wrapped in coarse linen in Song Zhian's hand, then at Ouyang Rong wearing a felt hat beside her, and shook her head to herself.
Lady Yu couldn't help but retort:
"Why can't we play together? We're all from Peach Blossom Town, we're already acquaintances, what's wrong with eating and drinking together? When you're traveling and making friends, do you have to divide us into different classes? Is Sister Chen starting to look down on everyone now that she's going to become a disciple of the Queen?"
The girl with pigtails chuckled lightly; she was also someone with a rather unpleasant temper.
"Yu Mili, why can't even a meal shut you up?"
The girl who was following her over chimed in again:
“Song Zhian, although you are from out of town, you have stayed at the Red Dust Inn before. We are both women from the same town, either from prominent families or families making a living in the town…”
"You know what's going on here. We should all help each other out, but you two have been too withdrawn these past two days. You won't come when we call you, and you even talked back to Sister Chen in public... During the daytime assessment, you two stood far away, acting all high and mighty. This isn't the first or second time. Who are you trying to annoy?"
Song Zhian shook her head and said seriously:
"The threshold for being Sister Chen's friend is too high. I can't really be considered a person from Taoyuan Town. Like Brother Liu and Brother Sha, I'm an outsider."
Young Lady Yu's face became serious, and even her speech became crisp and clear:
"Whoever is annoying, we'll annoy them. Whoever is unreasonable, we'll stay away from them."
The girl with the almond-shaped eyes glanced at him: "You..."
The girl with twin ponytails suddenly chuckled and spoke:
“Yu Mili, if you had half the emotional intelligence of your mother, she wouldn’t have had to go around pleading and currying favor with every family in town to pave the way for you, only to find that you’re still just eating and drinking.”
She looked directly at Song Zhian, and slightly pursed her lips:
"Alright, you guys continue. I'm not here to correct you. I just wanted to say a few words because I think you're a bit shameless and unambitious. Well, Yu Mili is fine, she just ate all day long in town, all she knew was eating. It would be normal for her to be kidnapped by some random guy one day... But you, Song Zhian, I misjudged you."
"Does she really think Jianze is just a front desk at a brothel? And she's flirting with these wild men every day? Does she enjoy being fawned over and flattered by them? Does she enjoy hooking up with men all the time?"
"Young lady, watch your words!"
Just then, Lu Jinghong suddenly spoke, taking a step forward and standing proudly beside Song Zhian.
The attention of Ouyang Rong and the other women was drawn to it.
Sensing that all eyes were on him, the young man in brocade robes became even more proud and held his head high.
Holding his sword close to his chest, he slightly raised his chin and spoke with a polite yet graceful demeanor:
"Young lady, you must be Chen Jiaxin, right? The eldest daughter of the prominent Chen family in Taoyuan Town? One of the two who passed the first trial and entered the hundred-breath stage? Hmm, let's get acquainted today. My surname is Lu, my given name is Jinghong, and I come from the Lu family of Fanyang..."
However, in the next instant, Lu Jinghong, who was halfway through his sentence, felt a gust of wind pass in front of him, and he immediately stopped speaking, his eyes widening.
Before he could finish speaking, Chen Jiaxin turned around and left.
The other women immediately followed suit.
Nobody even glanced at this inexplicable "outsider".
Lu Jinghong's face darkened.
Ouyang Rong, Song Zhian, and the other three silently watched Young Master Lu, who had failed to show off and was now blushing.
"What the hell? What's with the arrogance? So what if you can take a hundred steps and breathe a hundred times? You're still just like me, only reaching the second level with top-grade aptitude. If you're so capable, go for a divine-grade embryonic vessel. Even that tattooed girl isn't arrogant, so what are you bragging about..."
Lu Jinghong, who was well-mannered, rarely uttered a word.
Song Zhian spoke softly:
"They are all women from the nine clans of the small town. They usually like to stick together, with this Sister Chen as their leader. They are quite resistant to outsiders and even treat Yunmeng Sword Marsh as their own home, but..."
"This town of Jiuxing does indeed have a close relationship with Yunmeng Sword Marsh. There are many Yue female senior sisters in Sword Marsh who come from Jiuxing, and even female rulers have emerged in recent generations..."
"Among the nine daughters of this generation in the town, it seems that Chen Jiaxin is the most likely to pursue the position of the next female ruler."
Lu Jinghong, who had been making harsh remarks, glanced at him slightly.
A hint of apprehension flickered in his eyes, and he stopped speaking, letting out a heavy snort.
Lady Yu also gave a light snort:
"Whether she becomes a female ruler or not is none of our business. What we can't stand is them bullying other young ladies."
She then explained to Ouyang Rong and the others:
“Brother Liu, you don’t know what happened before. Sister Chen seemed to admire and think highly of Sister Song. At first, their relationship was quite good. However, a few days ago, when they were bullying an outsider’s daughter, Sister Song couldn’t stand it and stepped in to uphold justice. After that, they started to ostracize her…”
Lu Jinghong immediately said:
“Miss Song did the right thing; we shouldn’t spoil them.”
Ouyang Rong nodded:
"Miss Song and Miss Yu are very righteous."
Sha Ergou looked around, confused, and asked:
"Miss Song, Miss Yu, what does 'wild man' mean?"
Everyone: ...
Just then, the noise inside the dripping cave suddenly disappeared.
Upon noticing this, the five fell silent and turned to look. They saw a Yue woman returning and whispering a few words to Senior Sister Yuan below the platform.
"quiet!"
Senior Sister Yuan walked towards the high platform with a cold face, her indifferent voice echoing throughout the entire cave:
"Those whose names are called, please stand up."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
