The past only gets special treatment from those who care about you.
Mu Huage was not good at handling disputes and still cared about what others thought.
Looking around, apart from Li Ji who was rolling his eyes, the others were more interested in Yan Huanyue, who dared to be the first to ascend today. He finally accepted the invitation and jumped onto Qingyun Terrace.
Before he even landed, Yan Huanyue's gleaming blade suddenly stabbed towards his neck.
He hadn't expected Yan Huanyue to make a move so quickly, but there was still a difference in their cultivation levels. When the blade swept over, he had already taken to the air and landed on the other side of Qingyun Platform.
Yan Huanyue slid past him, and before he landed, she leaped upwards with both hands holding her sword, slashing through the air.
The audience held their breath and fell silent.
Mu Huage casually made a sword incantation and unleashed a sword aura that smashed her knife away.
Yan Huanyue's arms went numb from the shock, but she gripped the hilt of her knife tightly, using the momentum to swing the knife halfway through the air before slashing at him.
With his clothes fluttering, Mu Huage landed lightly on the ground with an air of nonchalance.
The sword energy that was unleashed from her fingertips once again pierced straight towards her neck. Yan Huanyue's expression hardened, and she took a step back with her right leg to dodge to the side.
The sword energy grazed her lips as it flew past, and a tingling pain, as if her skin had been shattered, belatedly spread through her.
A younger female student in the audience couldn't help but exclaim "Ah!" upon seeing this.
The next moment, Mu Huage's icy fingers were about to touch her neck, but seeing the blood trickling down her lips, he paused and said with a hint of guilt, "I'm sorry, Senior Sister Yan..."
Yan Huanyue wiped the blood from her chin, shook her head easily, took a half step to the side, and said with a smile, "It's alright, you won."
Mu Huage said with concern, "I'll get the medicine for Senior Sister in a moment..."
Suddenly, a collective gasp was heard from the audience.
Mu Huage suddenly felt a chill on his neck, as if the blade was just inches away from his neck. If he had used any more force, he would probably have been bleeding profusely.
He stared incredulously into Yan Huanyue's slightly cold eyes, as if he had never known her before.
The students below the stage erupted in cheers, "Senior Sister Yan, you can actually use underhanded tactics!"
"Junior Brother Mu, you were careless!"
"A draw! A draw! A draw!"
Yan Huanyue watched as the trust in Mu Huage's eyes shattered instantly. No wonder, she had never been so ruthless in her past life.
In her past life, every time she underwent a trial, she would unleash her full cultivation power, then endure a beating, leaving the battlefield quickly and without much struggle.
Mu Huage might be wary of others, but he never expected that she would start using such scheming tactics.
She sheathed her sword, her smile somewhat faint. "Today on Qingyun Platform, Junior Brother Mu undoubtedly won. I only hope that when you descend the mountain in the future, Junior Brother Mu will not be soft-hearted and will not leave any room for his opponent in the face of life and death."
Mu Huage looked at Han Shuangying, who was standing with her hands behind her back.
Han Shuangying said, "Not pointing to the death point means not winning. Junior Brother Mu did not lose because of being soft-hearted, but because of underestimating your opponent and not taking Junior Sister Yan seriously. Remember today's lesson. If you are arrogant and careless, even someone weaker than you will have the opportunity to take your life."
Mu Huage knew he had both underestimated his opponent and was too soft-hearted, so he accepted his defeat without offering any further explanation.
He simply bowed his head, greeted Yan Huanyue, and said in a low voice, "Thank you for your guidance today, Senior Sister Yan."
He then leaped down from Qingyun Terrace and bowed to Han Shuangying, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Sister Han."
Twenty-seven-year-old Li Ji coughed suddenly.
Then, adopting the air of someone who had spent many years in the mortal world, he chuckled and comforted him, "Junior Brother Mu, you are too young. You still need more experience. Senior Sister Yan, I'd like to learn a thing or two from you."
The tricks that worked last time are naturally ineffective this time; tricks that worked for Mu Huage may not work for others.
Yan Huanyue was chased and slashed by Li Ji with his sword. She gritted her teeth and persevered until the twelfth move. She was covered in sweat, her hair was disheveled, and there was blood on her lips. Her whole demeanor revealed a frantic and chaotic state.
Unable to withstand her attacks, she took several heavy blows before dodging and fleeing, leaving Li Ji somewhat exhausted.
When he relaxed his guard even slightly, she rushed over recklessly and started slashing with her knife.
After several exchanges, Li Ji was filled with rage. He gathered his energy in his long sword and, like a snake, chased her all over the field until he caught up with her. He suddenly thrust it at her brow, but it was completely neutralized by the Spirit Protection Technique.
Yan Huanyue slammed onto the bluestone ground with a thud, feeling nauseous and her head buzzing with ripples of sensation.
.
The waterside pavilion not far away.
Xiao Tiran scoffed and said, "Senior Sister Tan, someone who just takes a beating in battle really has the courage to compete with someone whose cultivation is higher than hers. What skills does she have besides underhanded tricks?"
“Junior Brother Xiao, you can’t expect all your opponents in this life to be weaker than you. So what’s wrong with competing with those who have higher cultivation? Besides, she… won one match.”
Xiao Tiran's eyes widened. "She thinks that counts as a win?"
Tan Guiyi narrowed her eyes slightly, watching the figure flying down from the high platform in the distance, feeling a strange emptiness in her heart.
She thought she might prefer to see Yan Huanyue give up immediately after being beaten.
Those who fear difficulties and give up easily, no matter how intelligent, resourceful, or naturally gifted, will not go far and will ultimately never reach the real arena.
Because of some of Yu Zhao's previous words, she thought Yan Huanyue was an ignorant and foolish girl, but Yan Huanyue's behavior was not as Yu Zhao had told her.
It seems that if you really want to understand a woman, it's best not to get to know her from a fiancé who doesn't value her much, or even from a former fiancé or ex-husband.
However, Yu Zhao was right about one thing: Yan Huanyue was indeed an obvious waste when it came to cultivation.
This put her at ease.
As the eldest grandson of the Yu family of Yunjing, Yu Zhao was a proud and arrogant person at heart. How could he really be willing to let such a fairy-like woman submit to a homeless and useless person?
She hoped that Yan Huanyue would accept reality to some extent, because many rules in the world are only made for the weak, and marriage is no exception.
She had seen some irrational women who longed to use love to make men in high positions lower themselves, unaware of how lowly playthings they were in the eyes of their partners.
So when Yan Huanyue broke off the engagement, she was very surprised, surprised that the vulgar and ignorant Yan Huanyue in Yu Zhao's words was actually a sober person.
Knowing that she was not good enough for Yu Zhao, she gave up early on. Wasn't that a sign of self-awareness?
However, Yan Huanyue deliberately chose to break off the engagement when they were arguing about Yu Zhao, which was truly disgusting.
A cool breeze blew by, and many of the half-closed windows of the Lotus Pavilion by the water opened.
Beneath the half-rolled bamboo blind, the person inside the window revealed a snow-white neck and a thin chin.
Tan Guiyi turned her head and immediately saw a glimpse of gold peeking out from under the cloak.
Seeing that the person inside the curtain had delicate features, she was curious and tugged at Yu Zhao's sleeve, asking softly, "Who is inside the curtain?"
Yu Zhao looked in the direction of Qingyun Terrace, suddenly came to his senses, and asked, "What did you say?"
Tan Guiyi asked again, and Yu Zhao turned to look at Fenghe Pavilion. When he saw the profile of the woman whose face was partially obscured by a half-rolled bamboo curtain, he was suddenly stunned.
After realizing what was happening, he quickly walked to the window, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Sect Leader."
The person inside the curtain lifted the bamboo curtain with slender, jade-like hands, revealing a pair of delicate and pure eyes. Their tone was indifferent and aloof, yet composed and polite: "Senior brother has admitted his mistake."
Tan Guiyi and Xiao Tiran caught up, and when they suddenly saw Pei Xuanzhi, their eyes lit up and they couldn't help but widen their eyes slightly.
She felt that the young man behind the curtain was truly exceptionally handsome. He was clearly a cold and sickly person, yet there was a hint of indescribable allure between his brows and eyes.
Pei Xuanzhi nodded slightly to Yu Zhao, lowered the bamboo curtain, and reached out to close the window.
When he raised his hand, a longevity lock was revealed under his cloak. Tan Guiyi caught a glimpse of a golden glint hidden behind the window and blinked.
In her memory, the longevity lock was always stained with snow and mud, and the pattern was always blurred.
Many deliberately concealed memories suddenly flooded back.
On a snowy night, the longevity bell rang softly. A little boy, dressed in tattered clothes, ran barefoot from the snow back to the abandoned hut and stuffed a warm sweet potato into her hand.
"Eat up, and then give me back my things."
She huddled in the corner, wearing a bright red jacket with gold trim, her honey-colored embroidered skirt filthy from the dirt and snow.
She really didn't want to stay in that damp and dirty hut any longer, and she certainly didn't want to eat anything his hands, which were covered in frostbite and filthy with blood and mud, had handled.
But he wasn't an easy person to talk to. He always meant what he said and wouldn't allow her to question his decisions, nor did he care about her feelings.
After learning her lesson a few times, she never dared to throw away the sweet potatoes that had soiled her skirt and hands again.
She could only pat the black ash off her skirt with the back of her hand when he couldn't see her, constantly praying that her parents would send someone to find her soon.
The little boy sat by the drafty, rotten door to avoid the cold. He was clearly dressed in thin clothes, but he still tried to maintain a proper sitting posture.
However, his frail body could not withstand the onslaught of the cold winter months, and he could only become more and more hunched over.
He coughed as he criticized, "Eat it! If the sweet potato gets cold, you'll say that eating cold food will make you sick."
After enduring two days of cold, she caught a chill and coughed a few times, saying, "It's normal. My parents never let me eat cold food, not even in summer. They want me to take good care of my health and not eat anything dirty. My dad says I have to..."
The little boy was very impatient and scolded, "Shut up! You talk too much. If you're so particular, then don't stay here, go find your parents!"
“This isn’t your territory either. I told you I’m lost, I can’t find my family, and my mother will be heartbroken if I get sick…”
The little boy grinned maliciously and said, "Then you can go hungry! It would be better if you starved to death, so you wouldn't have to eat my food. Or, you can go and tell someone to cook you a feast of delicacies."
She was cold and hungry, clutching a roasted sweet potato she would never normally even glance at. She wanted to eat it, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Overwhelmed with sorrow, she cried, "I want to go home..."
The little boy couldn't maintain his dignified sitting posture, which he had somehow learned, and slumped behind the door, coughing incessantly while his stomach rumbled.
I listened to her cry for a long time; perhaps she was annoyed, or perhaps she couldn't bear the hunger.
Without another word, he crawled over on all fours, snatched the sweet potato, peeled it haphazardly, and wolfed it down. Then he crawled to the door, grabbed a handful of snow, and stuffed it into his mouth to quench his thirst.
"Tears and pain can only be reserved for those who care about you, while others will only find them annoying and unlucky. I am kind enough to go hungry myself and give you this food. It is your own fault for not appreciating it, so don't blame me."
A note from the author:
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Due to the plot, Pei Xuanzhi and Tan Guiyi met for three days when they were children, but they had no emotional connection at the time.
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