Chapter 107 Treating You Like a Little Sister
At this moment, the position of the sacrificial lamp suddenly changed again. Because it was once again at the point where the music would fall, Song Chi decided to make one last desperate attempt. This hidden current spell, which required complete control of the entire arena, consumed too much spiritual energy, and he had already used up nearly half of it.
She needed to keep half of her spiritual power in case of unforeseen circumstances. She had been using the hidden currents to rotate her own sacrificial lamp, but now it had lost its connection. She had to be wary of someone trying to steal it from her...
However, this time the lantern festival was located near the center of the lake, not far from Mo Shubai's pleasure boat. When she teleported there, apart from some unfamiliar disciples, there was almost no one causing trouble. Song Chi couldn't help but think to herself, this time it might work.
"Watch out!" Mo Shubai's cold voice rang out.
Song Chi felt a chill run down his spine. Turning around, he saw several pure white lotus flowers rising from the water. Then, Hua Shalan, grinning like a rotten tomato, emerged from the lotus flowers, revealing himself and his small boat. In his hand, he held none other than her peach blossom lantern.
"Junior Sister Song, it seems we are destined to meet." A laugh escaped from his throat, and Hua Shalan rushed over with a wave of his hand.
"Fate, my foot!" Song Chi said without another word, abandoning the sacrificial lamp and running away. Hua Shalan relentlessly pursued her, his White Lotus Water and Wood Life-Giving Technique's teleportation magic being exceptionally exquisite and fast. As she was chased all over the world, she was itching to get her hands on him. "Come on, send down a divine lightning bolt and strike this bastard down first!"
Everyone else was still watching the spectacle, and no one helped her. And Mo Shubai… if he hadn't been chosen to be taken on the pleasure boat, she would have hidden behind him immediately.
Venerable Xueqiao watched as Song Chi, her face flushed, was chased all over the lake, and couldn't help but want to facepalm. The other Venerables also laughed, saying that it seemed this Hua family brat was going to succeed this time. This was easy to see, because although Song Chi's technique granted her great mobility, it consumed a sea of spiritual energy, and she wouldn't last more than a quarter of an hour. The Hua family brat's Water and Wood Life-Giving Technique was truly exquisite, and its consumption of spiritual energy seemed limited. With this disparity, Song Chi was bound to lose.
Hua Shalan, still harboring feelings for her, didn't pursue the matter too aggressively. However, when Song Chi's aggrieved gaze drifted towards Shu Bai, the young man's expression immediately changed, his face darkening as his spiritual energy swirled like the wind. He figured next time, that girl might really be caught by this kid and taken to the pleasure boat…
However, Shu Bai moved without any wind, his body radiating an aura of immortal lotus. Perhaps he was casting some kind of spell? Ever since the Mo family's immortal lotus gained a unique wisp of profound spiritual energy, Shu Bai's immortal lotus aura had indeed become increasingly subtle and profound. Moreover, according to Venerable Xue Qiao, the spiritual essence of the immortal lotus had a unique and wonderful effect on breaking through barriers and seals. Anyway, the seal on Song Chi's little courtyard… Shu Bai could break through a tiny gap at any time without that girl noticing.
However, the seal on this pleasure boat was formed by several wisps of ancient and profound aura emanating from the main hall. To be honest, even if Venerable Xueqiao were to act, he might not be able to break it easily. As for Shu Bai's side... it's uncertain whether it will succeed. If there are any immortal treasures connecting the inside and outside of the seal, there is still a glimmer of hope.
Upon thinking of the immortal treasures, Venerable Xueqiao's heart suddenly stirred.
"Third Junior Sister, Immortal Lotus." Shu Bai suddenly reminded her.
Song Chi, without hesitation, moved his fingers with utmost trust, holding the immortal lotus spiritual root he had previously obtained from the Mo family in his palm.
Hua Shalan, and even Wen Yujiu, who was lost in his illusion, suddenly twitched their brows. In an instant, the bright moon hung high, and a graceful figure in green robes, several Linglong Sect members, moved with light steps, leaping dozens of miles. With a sharp point of their two fans, a sliver of sky appeared, or rather, a thick barrier of pure water elemental energy pierced between Song Chi and Shu Bai. This was naturally Wen Yujiu's technique. It was exquisitely crafted, causing even the Venerables to gaze intently.
Hua Shalan's magic was even more grand and noisy. He directly conjured a verdant mountain forest, encompassing the entire lake area stretching for more than ten miles from Zishu Bai's painted boat to Song Chi's back, forming a small spiritual realm seal.
This surprised the venerable ones, who exchanged glances and sighed inwardly at how formidable the younger generation was.
However, no matter how exquisite their magic was, when countless white lotuses broke through the ring sealing the painted boat, they surged out like a raging sea. The verdant forest instantly transformed from roots to branches into white lotuses, cascading down and merging into an even larger, torrent-like wave of white lotuses, advancing forward like the ocean waves. These lotus waves, even possessing a graceful arc, rushed towards Wen Yujiu's pure water-elemental barrier. This time, Venerable Xueqiao discovered that Song Chi's five fingers suddenly shifted their musical tone, gathering all the spiritual energy bubbles into the lotus sea, causing the lotuses to rotate lightly along with the spiritual energy bubbles.
Then, with a soft pop, the seemingly impossible water elemental barrier shattered.
The pure white lotus flower surged forward like a wave, while the slender figure in white robes flew backward, light and graceful, like a beautiful dandelion seed, landing beneath the painted boat. They were then enveloped by a pure white spiritual energy barrier.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye. While the disciples marveled at the exquisite and profound magic, the Venerables were all sighing, "No wonder Bai Lian Yu Jun is recorded in history as a vanguard general by Qiong Yu Xian Jun's side. Just this ability to break the seal alone is enough to make people secretly amaze, and they can't help but look at Qing Chen Zi. But this old fellow is now tearfully lamenting that his son has grown up, and he probably can't remember anything else, which leaves everyone speechless."
Venerable Xueqiao noticed that before Song Chi landed on the painted boat, she glanced up and met her senior brother's eyes briefly. She then lowered her gaze and smiled sweetly, though she quickly composed herself. Shu Bai also lowered his eyes and smiled faintly, though neither of them were actually looking at the other.
But their sweetness was actually quite excessive, leaving Venerable Xueqiao somewhat speechless. These two seemed to enjoy flaunting their affection in public, completely disregarding the feelings of others. Especially those young men; though they smiled, their smiles were becoming increasingly sinister. There was more trouble to come.
"Senior Brother, can you hold on?" Song Chi looked up. Although they were safe for the time being, he felt that Mo Shubai's White Lotus Immortal Technique seemed to consume a lot of spiritual energy.
However, Mo Shubai lowered his eyes and met her gaze lightly. "It's alright," he said with a smile, his voice gentle, "Third Junior Sister, please recover your spiritual power first."
"Okay." Song Chi struggled to lower her head and reply, trying not to let her voice rise at the end. She felt a sweet warmth in her heart, but... well, she wanted to recover her spiritual power first. Being love-struck? Ugh! That won't work right now.
Next, she swallowed a Qi-restoring pill to recover her spiritual power, and soon the time it takes for an incense stick to burn passed.
At that moment, with a ding-dong sound, the peach blossom lantern that Hua Shalan had stolen fell into the water. This was the power of the formation; if the lantern's owner could not be caught and boarded the painted boat within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the lantern would jump back onto the river.
As the bell tolled, the sacrificial lanterns shot forward like flying fish towards the river mouth, instantly overtaking the main pleasure boat and leading the way like a galaxy of stars. The intense music outside the riverbank suddenly changed to a melodious tune. The pleasure boat continued forward, and Song Chi also rowed his small boat, huffing and puffing as he went.
Jin Juan finally figured out the reason. Xie Lanqing's peach blossom lantern shouldn't have run away in the first place. It was the evil spirit Bi Wang, who was lying in wait, that made it jump to Mo Shubai's lotus lantern, because the white lotus clan's purity and spirituality naturally ward off evil.
However, Jin Juan explained that once they reached the Heroes' Lake in front of the main sacrificial hall at the very top, the evil spirits could be completely suppressed. At that time, Xie Lanqing's peach blossom lantern would leap away from the lotus lantern. That would be her opportunity.
It also hinted that the unsealed wood elemental power that would emerge from the main hall at that time could lend her a helping hand.
Song Chi suddenly felt confident. "When we get to Yinglie Lake, see if she can outdrink Wen Yujiu and Hua Shalan!"
However, when seizing the sacrificial lantern at the second Galaxy Bay, she still needs to be active to lull the enemy into a false sense of security. She needs to make them believe that she is determined to seize Mo Shubai's lantern. Once she reaches Heroes' Lake, she can then launch a surprise attack on Xie Lanqing's lantern.
So, when Venerable Xueqiao saw that Song Chi was still up to her old tricks and continuing to rob people even after arriving at the Milky Way Bay, she became so angry that her face turned red, and she slunk away to her senior brother's pleasure boat. Then, the two of them exchanged a brief glance, one looking up and the other looking down. The one who looked up quickly lowered her head, gave a sweet smile, and then put on a stern face. This time, Shu Bai looked down at his third junior sister and smiled slightly.
However, Venerable Xueqiao still wanted to say something. You two little rascals want to show off your affection? You can do it at home however you want. But right now... never mind, let them show off their affection however they want, it won't make a difference if they do it again.
Soon, they arrived at Heroes' Lake. Upon entering, Venerable Xueqiao sensed the unique wood spirit root aura he had encountered at Ice and Snow Lake years ago. He looked back and indeed saw Song Chi rowing the boat with all his might towards the shore of Heroes' Lake, his eyes shining brightly as soon as he entered the barrier.
Venerable Xueqiao thought to himself, "This time, this girl might really succeed. This kind of wood spirit root is like adding wings to a tiger for music cultivation, especially since this girl is on the path of the wood spirit root, making her even more like a fish in water. This is a natural training ground prepared for her. This time, I estimate that this girl will be able to successfully obtain the sacrificial lamp, board the painted boat, and hold hands with Shubai. Her love path should be smooth then, and she shouldn't have to go back to silently gazing at the moon from her window, struggling to play the zither under the moonlight, only to end up dying here."
Sure enough, the first bell rang, and magnificent music resounded all around.
Song Chi then picked up her pipa, and the music soared forth, exciting and joyful. It was the same piece where spiritual energy surged beneath the surface, but this time the bubbles of spiritual energy almost encompassed the entire lake, making every part of the lake her battlefield.
At that moment, Venerable Xueqiao only saw that this girl was still glaring fiercely at Hua Shalan and Wen Yujiu, the two people who had bothered her the most. However, it was clear that her main task was to light the sacrificial lamp for her senior brother, so she put on a cold and indifferent face, as if she didn't care about arguing with them.
Sure enough, the person and the boat flashed and rushed towards—!
"How could this be!" Even several of the Venerables couldn't help but exclaim.
One of Venerable Xueqiao's beards snapped off. This was because Song Chi suddenly rushed forward, heading directly towards the direction of the sparse white sacrificial lamps. But at the crucial moment, with Wen Yujiu and Hua Shalan already in position to stop her, she frowned, smiled, and disappeared with a turn of her head.
The next moment, he caught a peach blossom lantern in his hand.
The blooming peach blossom lanterns, guided by spiritual energy, pointed directly at—Xie Lanqing, the young master of the Purple Evolution Divine Palace!
"You brat—! What are you doing?" Venerable Xueqiao closed his eyes in anger.
Then came Song Chi's angry shout. "Xie Lanqing, why are you running away? Come back!"
The moment he opened his eyes, he saw the boy steer the boat, chasing Xie Lanqing, whose pink robes were billowing, all over the lake. Those who had been the most vehemently opposed earlier were now visibly shaken by this sudden turn of events, some even glancing at Shu Bai's changing expression. Many of the remaining disciples, enjoying the spectacle, were so astonished by the turn of events that they collapsed into laughter on the boat.
"Xie Lanqing, you bastard, don't run away!"
"I'm afraid that Junior Sister Song might have ulterior motives towards me."
"Disloyal thoughts, my foot! You stop right there!"
"In my heart, I only wish to spend my whole life with the woman who is devoted to me and whom I love in return, Junior Sister Song." Xie Lanqing's words were probably spoken with feeling, and there was a sense of sighing in them.
"A lifetime my ass, you—ow!"
The brat was so angry she almost roared to the sky. Then, the music suddenly changed, and the wood spirit root swelled up. The buzzing sound almost made the weaker disciples faint again. Venerable Xueqiao discovered that this spell wasn't actually that powerful; it simply created two identical paths with blooming flowers in front of Xie Lanqing.
For some reason, even though he still had enough strength to rush out, he hesitated for a moment.
Then Song Chi grabbed her hand from behind. This brat had a "I'll teach you a lesson" look on her face, and forcibly dragged her towards the pleasure boat.
The onlookers immediately burst into laughter.
Venerable Xueqiao: "..." Shu Bai, look what "liking" even means. This brat, you—! He didn't even know where to begin cursing.
Song Chi seized upon Xie Lanqing's indecisiveness and successfully caught the bastard.
Then she quickly switched her spiritual voice and moved to a location closer to the painted boat. At this moment, the boat was only two or three zhang away. She used her spiritual power to propel the small boat forward like a flying arrow.
However, when they were about ten feet away from the fifth pleasure boat, they only needed to take off and fly up to achieve their goal.
Thump, thump, thump! Three figures blocked the way. You could say it was Hua Shalan and Wen Yujiu, those two are true old rivals. But Su Xi, damn it, what are you doing blocking my way? Don't tell me you fell for her just because she gave you a pink lotus. She'd be a fool to believe that.
"Since you have pledged your heart to me, Pink Lotus, you cannot love other men."
Su Xi actually understood her confusion and even offered an explanation.
"Pink Lotus Knot of Unity, my foot!" Song Chi was utterly speechless. She realized that these genius disciples were basically all brain-dead.
Xie Lanqing stood by, doing nothing, looking at him with an expression that said, "You're not sincere with me, so why did you arrest me?"
Song Chi's chest heaved with anger. "Xie Lanqing, are you even human? You block this for me!" Do you know how much I've sacrificed for your opportunity, to prevent the entire cultivation world from being struck by lightning?
Otherwise, they might as well all be struck by lightning and killed!
Perhaps Xie Lanqing was ultimately willing to be a human being. Seeing her glaring at him angrily, he finally unleashed a sword strike that pierced the sky, pointing straight down.
This sword strike was truly awe-inspiring and domineering, not only that, it was also incredibly powerful and well-rounded. Fearless and undaunted, it fell with a simple yet resolute force. The five elements of spiritual roots naturally merged, as if the might of an emperor had crashed down.
Song Chi glanced at the greatsword, then at Xie Lanqing. To be honest, he was truly amazed. All five elemental roots were at their maximum; she was simply a prodigy, no explanation needed.
Under his sword strike, the lush tree shadows, water mist, and the roar of the evil dragon in front of them all trembled and were about to be unable to withstand it.
Such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Song Chi dared not delay. He grabbed Xie Lanqing's hand and rushed towards the painted boat. At the same time, the sound of the zither exploded, bombarding the evil spirits.
At this point, we have to mention Xie Lanqing, that bastard. She struggled a bit at the last minute, seemingly unwilling to be taken advantage of. Moreover, Hua Shalan and Wen Yujiu, those two cunning people, actually cooperated. Their Water and Wood spiritual roots were fully combined. One fanned himself, while the other skillfully formed a magic finger, causing vines to sway all over the world. They rushed over and grabbed her calf.
Just as Song Chi was about to be pulled into the water and the plan was about to fail, countless white lotuses flew in from the front, breaking free of the vines that were binding her calves, and then lifted her and... Xie Lanqing together, allowing the two to land easily on the painted boat.
Song Chi sniffed and suddenly turned to look at Mo Shubai. Then, in a daze, she turned her head back, and a few incredibly cheesy words inexplicably popped into her mind: "I treat you like a sister!" This thought struck her like an arrow! No way, it can't be, thinking about it, it really seems possible.
"What's wrong with you? Did you hurt your brain?" Xie Lanqing asked from the side.
You're the one who's out of your mind! No, she's just a little dazed right now. She always felt there was something ambiguous between her and Mo Shubai, but now she wasn't sure. She was always incredibly grateful to Mo Shubai for helping her before. This time was no exception; otherwise, it would have really failed. But then again… ahhh, if he were jealous right now, she'd probably be even happier.
Oh well, it's probably a younger sister or a junior sister. It doesn't really matter anyway.
Wait a minute, being love-struck is no good. She has to hold back.
Song Chi ran to the shadows in the cabin to meditate and catch her breath, but her cheeks cracked again. Why endure it? No, she needed to know if Mo Shubai considered her a younger sister. If he did, she wouldn't pursue him; if not… well, she'd think about it later.
Venerable Xueqiao was speechless at this moment. Shu Bai's final act of entrusting and sending her off was truly... he didn't know what to say. As for that brat, after being helped by her senior brother, she glanced back, her expression shifting from surprise to astonishment, and then turning her face away with a complicated look. Now, she was meditating in the shadows of the painted boat, appearing calm, but her cheeks seemed a little chapped. Shu Bai, on the other hand, was also slightly surprised after seeing his third junior sister's expression, then gently lowered his eyes and smiled, becoming somewhat thoughtful.
So… what kind of riddle are you two playing? Are you in love or indifferent? Venerable Xueqiao couldn’t help but want to facepalm. He considered himself to be perceptive and insightful, but he was still a bit baffled by the feelings between these two little rascals.
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Author's note: [doge][doge] Senior Brother is here~ There will be another chapter tomorrow at 9 o'clock, but it will be shorter.
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