Chapter 64 Daily: Xiaoxie declaring sovereignty
As the year draws to a close, the weather is bitterly cold.
A thick layer of ice has formed on the Spirit Lake in the Cloud Spirit Realm. It should have been a tranquil and peaceful place, perfect for sightseeing, but now a crowd of people has gathered on the ice.
Several holes were cut in the ice, and next to each hole sat a person with a small stool, motionless and holding a fishing rod.
One of them had a half-full fish basket, and he was calmly reeling in fish one after another. The other two, however, looked pale and their fish baskets were still empty.
Young Wei Li squatted beside the barbecue grill that had been burning for half a day, resting his chin on his hand, looking at the empty fish basket with a speechless expression: "Dad, are we really going to be able to eat grilled fish today?"
Wei Yao: "What do you know? Fishing can't be rushed. Let me prepare another spot."
As he spoke, he threw in another large bag of bait. After a while, two fish, stuffed and belly up, floated up in the middle of the ice cave.
Wei Li: "..."
Rong Xueman sat behind her husband, leaning back in her soft chair and drinking tea, glancing at Xie Yucang's empty fish basket.
Without speaking, Xie Yucang coughed lightly: "It's been many years since I've fished, I'm a bit rusty."
Rong Xue said leisurely, "I'm fine, but I've already told Xiao Ying that I'd make her fish soup. I've already made the promise, and if Xiao Ying doesn't get to drink it tonight, I, as her mother..."
"Don't worry, Madam, I guarantee I'll complete the mission today!"
Xie Yucang wiped his sweat and decisively shifted the blame to Wei Yao: "I told you we couldn't fish with him! He baited the spot and fed all the fish below! I'm going to find another place."
Xiao Lingzhou, standing nearby, calmly cast a fish onto the water. “Don’t worry, Empress. It doesn’t matter if the Demon Emperor can’t catch any. I’ll give all my fish to Junior Sister.”
Xu Baishen and his sister were also there. They are both currently recuperating, so they came along to fish.
Xu Baishen: "Xiaoxuan and I were just fishing for fun. These fish can be left for Junior Sister Sang."
Rong Xueman nodded approvingly: "Not bad, not bad, you can make even more variations."
Xie Yucang panicked: "Wife, I'm sure I can do it today!"
In the bamboo garden by the sky and water, Sang Ying leaned against the window, watching a few people fishing in the distance. Her clear eyes sparkled with curiosity and hope. She was eager to try, practically wagging her tail behind her.
A month has passed since she woke up. Xie Lingyu forbids her from going out, so she can only stay here and obediently recuperate every day. She is almost bored to death after this month.
Unable to go out, I can only play the game "Liuli Jing" online and chat with other group members in the chat room.
A few days ago, she saw that Linghu Lake was covered with a thick layer of ice, so she took a picture and posted it in the group. Unexpectedly, the two fishing enthusiasts, Bukong Daoren and Tianhu Jushi, thought it was an excellent fishing spot and both wanted to come over.
Coincidentally, in the Cloud Spirit Realm, Xie Yucang got the idea and organized a fishing competition. The rules were that no spiritual power could be used and only hand fishing was allowed, with generous rewards for the winners.
However, it seems the outcome of the match is not very optimistic, as Bukong Daoren completely overwhelmed him.
"Want to go fishing?"
The young man's clear voice landed above his head.
Sang Ying tilted her head back, her fluffy head resting against his chin, her eyes lighting up, "Mmm!"
"Can."
Sang Ying was overjoyed that he agreed so easily.
Xie Lingyu helped her put on her shoes, then shook out a fox fur cloak to cover her inside, tying it in a knot. Sang Ying's small face was wrapped in a circle of fur; she had been taking good care of herself during this time, and her complexion looked much better.
Just as she was about to jump, the young man lifted her off the chaise longue and carried her out of the bamboo garden.
Sang Ying was stunned for a moment, then noticed that the people in the distance were looking at them. She quickly nudged him and said, "Xie Lingyu, I can walk by myself now!"
The young man didn't loosen his grip at all; instead, he tightened his hold on her a little, his voice neither warm nor cold.
"It's cold outside. Do you want to catch a cold and suffer for a few more days?"
In the midst of the pushing and shoving, they had already reached the edge of the crowd.
Everyone else knew that Sang Ying was seriously injured and weak, so they were not surprised to see her being carried out and came up to greet her with concern.
Rong Xueman pulled her cloak hood up tighter. "Aren't you cold coming out dressed so lightly?"
Sang Ying shook her head. Of course she wasn't cold, because Xie Lingyu was keeping her warm, and she felt cozy and warm in his arms.
Xiao Lingzhou tossed the fishing rod aside, leaned closer, and laughed, "Junior sister's ears are quite sharp; she came right away when you mentioned making fish soup."
Sang Ying carefully examined his eyes. Although she had already confirmed that he was alright, she was completely relieved when she saw the shimmering light in his peach blossom eyes.
She scoffed, "I thought you'd gone blind. You were already a bit dim-witted; if you went blind too, your title of being the most popular girl in the Wuwen Sect would have to be changed."
Xu Baishen and his sister also came over. He put his arm around his sister's shoulder and they both bowed to express their gratitude, "Thank you so much, Junior Sister Sang and Fellow Daoist Xie, for saving our lives. If we encounter any difficulties in the future, we will definitely risk our lives to help you."
Xu Xuan nodded as well.
Sang Ying rubbed her temples. "It won't be needed in the future. I need your help right now. Those old fogies in the sect only recognize you as their sect leader. If it weren't for you, they would leave the sect... It's really troublesome."
Xiao Lingzhou raised an eyebrow: "That's easy, just beat them up and they'll behave."
Sang Ying glanced at him: "Do I still care about my reputation?"
Things were already bad enough, and now he's being labeled a tyrant. "Besides, who said I was going to try to keep them?"
Sang Ying patted Xie Lingyu on the shoulder, and the young man naturally took out a thick stack of account books from his storage ring, piling them into a small mountain on the ice.
Xu Baishen asked with slight doubt, "Junior Sister Sang, what are these...?"
"These are the account books of Wuwen Sect in recent years, detailing all the sect's major and minor expenditures. I have carefully examined them and found that those old fogies embezzled the disciples' allowances, pocketed a lot of money from them, and even fabricated shoddy accounts."
"The thing I'm asking of you is to post a list of all the things they've amassed over the years in the Wuwen Sect, so that the disciples can read it."
Xu Xuan casually flipped through a book, "Wow, the Eleventh Elder embezzled so much! And what, this Martial Uncle? He always seemed so kind to his disciples. You really can't judge a book by its cover..."
Xu Baishen nodded: "No problem. Should we post them in other places as well? The Immortal Alliance has some manpower."
Sang Ying waved her hand: "No need, my disciples are well-informed, the news should spread throughout the entire cultivation world in less than an hour."
Xiao Lingzhou raised an eyebrow: "You're taking such a mild approach now, you're not even asking them to spit out their food?"
Xu Baishen smiled and said, "Junior Sister Sang's purpose is probably not this, but rather the hearts of the people."
"That's right!"
Sang Ying nodded, "The accounts will definitely be settled, but there's no rush to get them back. Let it escalate for a while longer. I've already transferred some funds from the Chamber of Commerce, and I'll use that to reissue the withheld items to the disciples. Second Senior Brother, could you please keep an eye on things for me?"
Xiao Lingzhou also understood that many people would definitely be dissatisfied with Sang Ying becoming the sect leader, given her strength. Although she had Xie Lingyu by her side and the Demon Emperor backing her up, people's hearts are complicated, and there is no loyalty under the rule of power. Only sincerity can win people's hearts.
"Okay, leave this to me."
"That's all. Second Brother, you guys go back to fishing... cough cough."
The weather was dry, and Sang Ying's throat was a little dry. She coughed lightly twice and was about to continue speaking when the young man handed her a small, round water bottle wrapped in brocade.
Sang Ying held the small water bottle, took a couple of sips of hot pear tea through the straw, and felt her throat was much better, but she was puzzled. "Xie Lingyu, why isn't it sweet?"
She held the water bottle to his lips, "Try it, is there something wrong with my taste buds? Why does it taste different from yesterday? Did you skimp on the ingredients?"
Xie Lingyu took a sip from her hand and hummed in agreement.
"It's almost lunchtime, and my junior sister has been drinking too much and can't sleep well, so I added less rock sugar."
Sang Ying said "Oh," and continued drinking from the small water bottle.
She turned to look at the two of them, and mumbled through her straw, "Where were we?"
Xu Baishen and Xiao Lingzhou fell silent as they watched the familiar and intimate interaction between the two.
When Sang Ying saw that the two of them were looking at her, she was a little confused at first. After a few seconds, she realized what she had just done, and her ears immediately turned red.
She shoved the small water bottle haphazardly into Xie Lingyu's hands and buried her head in his chest, saying, "I'm suddenly feeling a little sleepy."
Xie Lingyu looked down at the top of her head and smiled. "You were just clamoring to go fishing, but now you're sleepy? Okay, then go back to sleep..."
The girl in his arms suddenly grabbed his sleeve and uttered a single word in a muffled whisper: "Fishing."
Xie Lingyu said calmly, "Junior sister, this is a good location. Let's stay here and make another hole in the ice next to them."
Sang Ying buried her head tightly in his chest and grabbed his sleeve, crying out, "No!"
She was too ashamed to face anyone anymore!
Realizing she was getting a little emotional, she whispered, "I want to go somewhere quiet so I can get some sleep."
Xie Lingyu responded gently with an "okay," glanced at the two of them, and said calmly, "Then, my wife and I will take our leave."
After saying that, he carried the girl and walked nonchalantly to a corner of the Spirit Lake, a place with beautiful scenery. He opened an ice cave, summoned a soft chair and pillow made of clouds, and began fishing with the girl in his arms.
Xiao Lingzhou: "..."
Xu Baishen: "..."
Why did they think that Xie Lingyu was deliberately asserting her dominance in front of them by carrying her out?
Not far away, Xie Yucang was cracking sunflower seeds, nudging his wife with his elbow, and said leisurely, "Hey, why is this kid so jealous? A grown man shouldn't be so petty."
Rong Xueman glanced at him: "You are so magnanimous. My brother in the mortal realm only hugged me, and you immediately challenged someone to a duel, only to come back with a bruised and swollen face."
Xie Yucang chuckled twice: "I didn't know he was your own brother."
Rong Xueman grabbed his dragon horns, leaned close to his ear, and slowly said, "But he came to see me a while ago and told me that he didn't kill you at all, so that month you were seriously injured and stayed at my house... was it all an act?"
Xie Yucang: "...How could that be? Haha, it must be that my brother-in-law remembered it wrong."
Rong Xueman snorted coldly.
...
After a day of heated, exciting, and (not really) competition, the champion of this year's Yunlingjing Linghu Fishing Competition was finally decided in the evening.
Contestant number one, Bukong Daoren, score: 105.
Contestant number two, "Filling the Lake Hermit," score: 2 (initially ruled as 0 by the judges, but after heated debate among the contestants, fish that died from being overfed with bait were also included in the score).
Contestant number three, the "Stock Market King," has a record of 999 entries (crossed out).
The referee received an anonymous report from a contestant alleging that the Demon King used a skill (connections), and this result is invalidated.
Contestant number three, who bought the "stock market monster king," had a final score of 0.
Contestant number four, Xiao Lingzhou, score: 31.
Contestant number five, Xu Baishen, score: 31.
Contestant number six, Xu Xuan, score: 19.
(Referee: These two contestants are very close in the score! They have a good chance of winning third place. Of course, contestant number six is also very good as a fishing novice! He is much better than some veteran anglers!)
Contestant number seven, Xie Lingyu, score: 0.
(Referee: His Highness the Crown Prince has been taking care of the Crown Princess with utmost care, bringing her water when she is thirsty and feeding her when she is hungry. He has even given up the competition for this. This is truly touching! Therefore, the Crown Prince is hereby awarded the Gold Award for Outstanding Graduate of the Demon Realm Cloud Spirit Realm Male Virtue Class!)
Contestant number eight, Sang Ying, score: 1 (Linghu Carp King)
(Referee: Although there was only one fish, you caught an invincible carp that was as tall as a three-story building. This is a feat that no one has ever achieved before. Undoubtedly, you have outshone everyone else. You deserve to win this fishing competition!)
(Sang Ying: No, the fish jumped out and tried to steal my fishing rod, is anyone going to do anything about it?)
In the end, the champion of this fishing competition is... Sang Ying!
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The next chapter will feature fox ears and a fox tail [dog head carrying a rose]
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