Chapter 69 Su Yuyao suffers a crushing defeat in her magical duel.
"I think I fell asleep, and slept for a long time..." Su Yuyao stared at Guan Yue with her eyes half-closed.
“You’re not asleep! You just entered a meditative state. I didn’t expect our young master Guan Yue to be so capable, actually managing to teach you!” A nimble figure stood in front of him.
Su Yuyao quickly stood up and looked at the elderly woman in front of her, dressed in a gray coarse linen coat, with her hair tied up in a bun, a headscarf, and a radiant expression. "You are..."
The old woman laughed heartily, "Miss Yao'er, didn't we just meet? Have you forgotten me so quickly?"
"Ah! You're Granny Zhong!" Su Yuyao suddenly remembered that the old woman in front of her was Granny Zhong, who had just treated Feihua. She quickly curtsied and said, "Greetings, Granny Zhong!"
Granny Zhong tilted her head, crossed her arms, and carefully examined Su Yuyao from top to bottom and left to right. "She's a promising talent! It's just a pity that Lord Xuanfeng is keeping such a close eye on her!"
Suddenly, she frowned and stared into Su Yuyao's eyes, making Su Yuyao shrink back in embarrassment.
"My God!" she exclaimed, then glanced sideways at Guan Yue and walked over, raising her hand to slap him hard on the back. "You brat! You dare to take such a risk? If Lord Xuanfeng finds out, you'll be in big trouble!"
Su Yuyao was shocked. She looked at Guan Yue, who was motionless and silent, and was filled with surprise. Guan Yue was not angry at all?!
Seeing Su Yuyao's shocked expression, Granny Zhong raised her finger to cover the corner of her upturned mouth and said lazily, "Yao'er, don't be surprised! I raised Guan Yue! I've seen it all, from wiping poop to cleaning pee! If he dares to look down on me, I'll skin him alive!"
Su Yuyao looked at Guan Yue, who had his head down and ears bright red, and giggled. She never expected that even this deadpan face would have someone he dared not dislike!
Guan Yue frowned slightly, looked up and glared at Su Yuyao. Su Yuyao found Guan Yue's angry expression even more amusing!
Although Granny Zhong was quite old, her every move still retained a certain charm, and every smile and frown exuded captivating beauty. Clapping her hands and swaying her hips, she walked to the top of the canyon and shouted, "You little rascals, get over here!"
Upon hearing Grandma Zhong's call, the children immediately ran to her and lined up in front of her.
"Listen up, all of you! This gladiator competition is mainly about practicing Qi circulation!" With that, Granny Zhong spread her palm, and a cloud of white mist suddenly shot out. She casually tossed it away, and the cloud of white mist gently floated above Grandpa Silver Hair's Qi layer.
She gathered the white mist together with her fingers, and it slowly formed a circle. With a "poof," the mist turned into powder and fell down.
"You little brats! This is your duel arena for today!"
"Huh—? It's that difficult?" A familiar voice came from behind. "We have to fight magic and manage the flow of Qi at the same time. Isn't that being half-hearted?!"
Su Yuyao looked closely and realized that the child speaking was none other than the white tiger who had been whipped under the century-old tree earlier!
"White Tiger! You little bastard! You call this being fickle?! Today, if even a single speck of powder falls on you, I'll beat you up without even telling your father!" Granny Zhong scolded, hands on her hips.
The children burst into laughter, except for Baihu, who scratched the back of his head and said, "Isn't this being indecisive?"
Standing on the edge of the cliff, Su Yuyao was also puzzled. She tilted her head and asked, "What do you mean?"
Guan Yue looked at Su Yuyao, who genuinely asked a question, and patiently explained, "The children will engage in skill battles on that layer of white powder, while also using their Qi to protect themselves from the white powder falling on them. This mainly trains their control over Qi and the combination of Qi and skills."
"Oh..." Su Yuyao seemed to understand, but not completely. She tried to think and said, "Senior Brother Mengjiao also teaches boys to use Qi, but it's not as difficult as it is for you! Why is it so difficult for these children who are so young to learn?"
"Because the skills the children in the brothel practice are what they will use to make a living in the future, while most of the children in Qimeng Academy will become wise men in the future. One is for literature and the other for martial arts, so their focus of learning is naturally different," Guan Yue explained.
Su Yuyao suddenly realized, "No wonder I couldn't understand anything the Immortal Master taught! He always made me memorize texts, copy calligraphy, and write articles! Actually, I'm just not cut out to be a wise man..."
Guan Yue looked at the somewhat discouraged Su Yuyao and said softly, "You are very smart, intelligent, and talented. Your Qi luck is excellent, but you haven't practiced properly..."
Su Yuyao did not indulge in Guan Yue's comforting words, because her attention was gradually drawn to the two children on the white powder.
The two children walked onto the powder. One of them opened his palm, and a purple aura slowly rose from it, forming the shape of a large iron hammer, which gradually solidified. The other child closed his eyes, and a pair of wings slowly extended from behind him, suddenly unfolding and enveloping his body.
Although the two children made quite a few movements, the powder on the Qi layer remained completely still.
Suddenly, the giant iron hammer was hurled, wings suddenly rose, and white powder silently rose into the air, obscuring the figures of the two children.
Su Yuyao loved watching fights, but the white mist obscured her view. She dared not venture into the canyon, and could only stand on tiptoe at the edge of the cliff, straining to peer into the mist. "What the heck... I can't see anything..."
A familiar minty scent wafted over, enveloping Su Yuyao. Her feet gradually left the ground, rising higher and higher until she could no longer stand. She plopped down, and amidst the minty bubbles, she whispered, "Brother Yue'er, be steady! Or I'll throw up again!"
Guan Yue smiled and slowly led Su Yuyao to the vicinity of the white mist.
As she got closer, Su Yuyao could vaguely see the two children fighting in the white mist.
A child nimbly swung a large iron hammer around his wrist, then suddenly hurled it at the other person.
The winged child remained calm. Its eyes slightly opened, its wings fluttered, and it gently met the hammer's blow with its feathers, simultaneously shifting its body slightly to the side. The soft feathers absorbed the force of the massive iron hammer. The hammer slowed its pace and was about to hit the ground.
The boy holding the hammer opened his palm, pulled his arm back, and the hammer flew back into his hand quickly. He gripped the handle, turned around, and threw it out again with force.
The giant iron hammer spun in the air, forming a circular shadow, and smashed down on the opponent's head.
With wings raised, the soft feathers suddenly transformed into sharp spikes to block the spinning iron hammer, sparks flew and sparks flew everywhere!
With a flick of its wings, it suddenly exerted force, sending the large iron hammer flying and simultaneously shooting out several feather arrows that pierced towards the child opposite it.
The boy with the hammer tumbled several times and retreated outside the white mist.
The powder fell and floated quietly on the silver hair's layer of Qi, as if nothing had just happened.
"Wow! That was amazing!" Su Yuyao lay in the bubble, her eyes wide. The competition that had just taken place was brief, but it had broadened her horizons.
"Move your feet! All you can do is flap your wings?!" Grandma Zhong was not satisfied with the winged child.
"You're moving around quite a lot! Throwing the hammer around like that, don't you know what it means to wait for the right opportunity? His wings are right there, are you going to smash them?!" Grandma Zhong was also dissatisfied with the boy with the iron hammer.
Grandma Zhong pulled the two children close and examined them closely. Then she smiled and said, "Your Qi luck is acceptable. Get out of here and bend over!"
The two children finally relaxed and ran to the side to become spectators.
"Next group!" Grandma Zhong called out.
Two more children came up...
One set after another, Su Yuyao watched with great enjoyment.
What are you two doing, flapping around like that?!
"Are you two having your fortune told?! Get moving!"
"Not a single one of them is pleasing to the eye!" Granny Zhong cursed, hands on her hips. "Which brat hasn't come up yet?"
"Hehe..." White Tiger chuckled and stepped forward, saying in a cheeky tone, "And me..."
Grandma Zhong grabbed Baihu's ear and yelled, "You brat! You're the only one left! Pick someone to fight!"
The white tiger, baring its teeth and hopping around protecting its ears, pleaded, "Grandma Zhong, please be gentle..."
"Hahaha..." Su Yuyao looked at the white tiger begging for mercy in Granny Zhong's hand and laughed gleefully.
Baihu glanced at Su Yuyao, "Grandma Zhong, does that mean I can choose either of them?"
Grandma Zhong raised the corners of her mouth, released the white tiger's ears, glanced at Su Yuyao floating in the air as if it were nothing, and said with a smile, "Who do you want to choose?"
"Su Yuyao!" the white tiger shouted.
"What?! Me?!" Su Yuyao quickly sat up straight and called out to Guan Yue, "Brother Yue'er! Let me go back!"
Grandma Zhong raised her hand to cover her mouth and chuckled to herself, seemingly very interested in the White Tiger's challenge to Su Yuyao. "Guan Yue! Put Su Yuyao down!"
"Ah? No!" Su Yuyao shouted at Guan Yue, "Brother Yue'er! Let me go back! I can't beat him!"
Guan Yue hesitated for a moment, glanced at the anxious Su Yuyao, then at Granny Zhong who was glaring at him with sidelong eyes, and then threw Su Yuyao onto the white powder without hesitation.
"Ah!" Su Yuyao was caught off guard and fell from the sky, landing face down in the powder.
"Ptooey! Ptooey!" Su Yuyao wiped the powder off her face. "It's not fair! You can all conjure weapons! But I can't!"
"Hahahaha! Who can conjure weapons? Those are formed from their own qi!" Granny Zhong laughed loudly. "Besides, don't you have weapons too?"
"That's right!" Su Yuyao suddenly remembered that she was still carrying the crescent blade. She stood up, dusted off the powder on her body, and said to the white tiger, "I'm using a blade! Don't blame me if I hurt you!"
"Hmph," the white tiger snorted contemptuously, "You?! You think you can hurt me?"
As he spoke, he stepped onto the powder and stood opposite Su Yuyao. He glared at her, his black pupils gradually enlarging until they filled the entire white of his eyes.
Su Yuyao quickly drew the crescent blade from her waist, held it in her hand in front of her chest, and stared intently at the white tiger with black eyes in front of her.
The white tiger's palms faced each other, releasing a row of small yellow paper figures holding hands from his palms. He grinned and quickly flicked his tongue in his mouth, making a "crackling" sound, and the paper figures moved in response to his voice.
Su Yuyao was stunned. She never expected that the seemingly clumsy white tiger would have such a skill. She observed the little paper figures' every move and was surprised to find that each little paper figure seemed to be a different person, doing different actions.
"Ha—!" The white tiger suddenly exhaled a burst of energy, and the little paper figure suddenly jumped to the ground, turning into a normal-sized human, and rushed towards Su Yuyao.
"Ah!" Su Yuyao was so frightened that she took a few steps back, but she was still surrounded by the little paper figures.
She raised her crescent-shaped blade and slashed at the little paper figure, which suddenly sprouted a hideous face and gave Su Yuyao a strange, eerie smile.
Su Yuyao was startled and quickly turned to Guan Yue for help, "Brother Yue'er! Brother Yue'er! Brother Yue'er?"
Su Yuyao looked around and found that there were more and more yellow people around her, densely packed and layered, blocking the edge of the cliff. She could not see Guan Yue, and she could not even see the sky clearly. The originally clear blue sky had turned blood red, and the powder on the Qi layer had turned into red dust.
"Ah?!" Su Yuyao was truly terrified. She tried to run to the edge of the cliff but was blocked by the yellow paper figures. She could only use her crescent blade to slash at the paper figures that were gradually approaching her, but there were more and more paper figures...
"Ah? How could this be..." Su Yuyao frantically swung the crescent blade in her hand...
"Grandma Zhong! This is so unfair to Su Yuyao!" Guan Yue leaped a few steps and landed beside Grandma Zhong, saying anxiously.
Grandma Zhong looked at Guan Yue, raised her eyebrows, and asked, "You brat, are you feeling sorry for him?"
Guan Yue's ears turned red again. He lowered his head and said, "I just think it's unfair to test Su Yuyao with puppet illusions when she has only just learned how to circulate her Qi and has never learned how to control it!"
"Gara gara..." The white tiger's voice grew louder and louder, and the yellow paper figure between its hands trembled more and more violently.
Su Yuyao stared with moist eyes, her disordered steps stirring up the white powder, and she kept slashing wildly in the white mist with her crescent blade.
As Su Yuyao watched the terrifying faces drawing ever closer, and saw the fiery red sky and blood-red ground, her fear grew. She plopped down on the ground, her mouth agape, and cried out, "Ah—! Ah—! I don't want to fight anymore—! I'm scared—!"
"Grandma Zhong! That's enough!" Guan Yue was really getting impatient.
Grandma Zhong frowned and said sternly to Guan Yue, "Su Yuyao is Xuanfeng's person, you'd better remember that!"
After saying that, she turned to the white tiger and called out, "White Tiger, that's enough!"
The white tiger's voice gradually faded, and the small yellow paper figure returned to the palm of the hand as the white tiger's voice weakened.
After a while, Baihu's eyes returned to normal. He looked at Su Yuyao, who was sitting on the ground wailing, and laughed triumphantly.
As Su Yuyao cried, she suddenly realized that the paper figures around her had disappeared and the sky had brightened. She looked at the white mist enveloping her and then at the smug-looking white tiger, and cried even harder.
In a daze, she seemed to see Xuanfeng's figure. She scrambled to her feet and ran towards him, throwing herself into his arms. "Xuanfeng! Why did you take so long to come back?! I was scared!"
The figure was clearly stunned for a moment, and his body suddenly stiffened.
"Hmm?" Su Yuyao also noticed something was wrong. She sniffed and smelled a cool minty scent.
"Ah? Brother Yue'er!" Su Yuyao quickly let go of Guan Yue's arms and stepped out. "I'm...I'm sorry..."
Guan Yue looked at the powder on his clothes and his chest, which was soaked with Su Yuyao's tears and snot, and his body gradually became itchy, as if millions of ants were crawling densely on his skin.
"Brother Yue'er..." Su Yuyao looked at Guan Yue, whose face was gradually turning red, and called out worriedly, "Brother Yue'er! What's wrong with you?!"
Suppressing his physical discomfort, Guan Yue said breathlessly, "I'm fine..." He reached out and released bubbles to gently lift Su Yuyao up.
Grandma Zhong then called the children to the edge of the cliff. The silver hair withdrew its energy, and the canyon returned to its deep, secluded state…
Granny Zhong glared at Guan Yue and muttered under her breath, "Look at your pathetic self!"
Guan Yue blushed as he put Su Yuyao down.
Su Yuyao looked at Guan Yue, whose face was covered in red spots, with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Brother Yue'er, I didn't mean to. I thought Xuanfeng had returned..."
Guan Yue's heart sank, and he said in a low voice, "It's okay, let's go back."
"Oh, okay..." Su Yuyao turned around and searched for Baihu's figure among the children. That stinky Baihu! How dare he scare me! You wait, one day... I'll definitely... make your dad give you a good beating!
Baihu looked at Su Yuyao, who was furious, stuck out his tongue at her disdainfully, and rolled his eyes.
Su Yuyao gritted her teeth in anger, but there was nothing she could do. She was no match for Baihu, or rather, she was no match for any of the children.
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