"I heard there's a beauty pageant going on outside, what's that?"
An Yirou was very curious, and even the snacks she was holding no longer tasted good. She immediately peeked out to take a look.
It was a procession, banging drums and shouting slogans, a group of energetic men wearing red headscarves walking through the streets and alleys.
"The rewards are so generous... The winning women receive pills, talismans, and even magical artifacts?"
Song Juan was somewhat tempted. Her family was not well-off, and these subsidies would make her life much easier.
An Zhengzheng smiled and asked them, "Want to go take a look?"
Just as An Zhengzheng predicted, An Yirou quickly raised her hand, her tone full of anticipation: "Let's go take a look, it's really something new."
Song Juan and Su Ying had no objections.
The untouched rice cakes and spiritual fruits on the table were all stored in their storage rings.
Those who cultivate the Tao are taught from a young age not to waste food, lest they be struck by lightning when they ascend to immortality.
As they walked out of the private room, they bumped into someone they knew.
"You've come to Ghost City too?"
Zhou Xu had originally planned to challenge the Ghost Ancient City to see if he could gain anything.
A thousand years ago, this place suppressed a sleeping divine beast and served as a training ground for Qi Refining disciples. Those not in the training period were not allowed to enter.
Later, an ancient mythical beast appeared, named Piggy Hero. After causing a great disturbance in the cultivation world, it disappeared and became a legend.
More and more people came to explore, and eventually Ghost City was completely opened to the public, becoming a melting pot of all sorts of people, including demons, monsters, and ghosts.
Generally, newly recruited Qi Refining stage disciples are afraid to come.
But An Zhengzheng arrived with her men.
She has such a strong will!
Zhou Xu increasingly felt that An Zhengzheng was different from other women. If it were a girl from the clan, she would have to beg the clan's guards to come.
An Zhengzheng is truly special.
"Just bringing the sisters out for a walk." An Zhengzheng nodded politely and left.
An Yirou and the others didn't dare to speak. After all, they had witnessed the whole process of the departure incident and now they were all going to the street to watch the beauty pageant with An Zhengzheng.
Zhou Xu couldn't help but follow them, calling out to them, "Where are you going?"
An Zhengzheng stopped in her tracks, the image of Zhou Yu'er's persistent advances flashing through her mind.
She couldn't help but frown and turn to look at him.
His eyes seemed to ask, "What's it to you?"
Zhou Xu felt a little uncomfortable with An Zhengzheng's cold expression. He pursed his lips and said, "I was just asking casually. Please do as you wish."
An Zhengzheng nodded, didn't say anything more to him, and went to find the accountant.
This is a Foundation Establishment cultivator, currently casting a spell using an abacus.
Just as An Yirou was about to take out the An family token to record the transaction, An Zhengzheng paid with spirit stones.
After they left, An Zhengzheng told her, "Don't take out the An family token unless it's a matter of life and death."
"Okay, sister."
An Yirou then remembered her family's teachings, fearing that someone might have ulterior motives and deliberately approach her, just like... Zhou Yu'er.
An Zhengzheng asked people along the way and finally arrived at the Hundred Women's Pavilion that the propaganda team had been talking about.
The three characters were written in a grand and imposing style, quite different from other shops, and a platform was even set up at the entrance of the shop.
Many people went to inquire about the competition rules. There were men and women, young and old, making it quite lively. Everyone found it novel, and many came for the prizes.
They were all blocked in front of the platform.
"It looks like the competition is fierce." Song Juan was starting to have second thoughts. No matter how attractive the prize was, she was hesitant.
Su Ying, however, had a clear mind: "The reward is so generous, everyone will always want to give it a shot."
Song Juan was very disappointed.
She looked at An Zhengzheng with some longing and said, "If Sister Zhengzheng goes, her chances of winning are definitely very high."
An Zhengzheng remained silent, neither confirming nor denying anything.
Despite the surrounding noise, she remained calm and composed, like a pine tree, evergreen and steadfast, unmoved by wind or rain.
Song Juan was startled by herself.
Common words used to describe women include: as beautiful as a flower, charming and lovely, like a budding flower, as delicate as a willow in the wind, like a lotus emerging from the water, or even as pure and immaculate, and as beautiful as a feast for the eyes.
They all use flowers as a metaphor for women, describing them as delicate, fragrant, and pure, allowing them to be trampled upon and picked at will.
She actually thought that Sister Zhengzheng was like a pine tree, a pine or cypress, like... a tree?
The phrase "芝兰玉树" (zhī lán yù shù) is used to describe men; it refers to promising young men, like those who are highly talented, possess great strategic skills, and have an elegant demeanor.
Song Juan felt strange.
"We can get ready to begin." An Zhengzheng lowered her head and sent a message using a jade slip.
When An Zhengzheng looked up again, she saw Song Juan scrutinizing her.
An Zhengzheng asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Song Juan said earnestly, "Sister Zhengzheng, I actually think you're like a tree, a jade tree, isn't that strange?"
"I think you are very calm, determined, and have great perseverance. You are also capable of being the top student and winning first place. Like a pine tree, you continue to grow no matter how the wind and rain blow."
Just like in the training grounds, she fought fiercely and decisively, never complaining of pain when saving people, and never expecting any male cultivators to suddenly appear out of nowhere.
Just like today, when she saw Sister Zhengzheng wearing makeup, she remained indifferent.
An Zhengzheng felt extremely happy.
It wasn't because she used so-called "men's words" to describe herself, but because she used a word that didn't describe her appearance or require her to be delicate and charming.
There are too few words that can be used to describe women.
An Zhengzheng said, "I am very happy that you have affirmed my style of doing things, my qualities, and the results of my efforts."
“If you compliment my appearance, I won’t be happy. Because appearance will fade with age, that’s innate. It’s just a part of me, a part that’s destined to disappear, and it’s the part that’s beneficial to a man’s sex life and his image.”
"I am very grateful to you for seeing me even without going through these things."
Everyone suddenly fell silent.
"Is this a beauty pageant to select the most beautiful women?" a woman with her hair up asked her companion. "I'm afraid we have no chance."
"Yes, there are so many young women, and we're not from the Hehuan Sect... It seems this competition is the Hehuan Sect women's home turf." His companion also expressed his regret.
Some men even scolded their wives: "This is all a young girl's problem, how old are you!"
These words, which they hadn't thought were problematic before, now seemed strangely unsettling after hearing An Zhengzheng's earlier remarks.
That's so strange!
"We have no hope. Look at that girl over there."
Some girls who weren't particularly attractive noticed An Zhengzheng, and the light in their eyes dimmed instantly.
"Thank you for visiting our store. Our store is called Bai Nu Ge..."
A man in charge came out to speak, and An Yirou was startled by his familiar voice.
She looked up in disbelief. Wasn't this her uncle, Lin Huai'an, who had taken them from the An family to Siyue Gate overnight?
He put away the jade slip, then used a spell to amplify his voice so that everyone could hear him.
"Today's competition is a beauty pageant. We will rank the participating women according to the standards of the Hundred Women Pavilion."
"There is only one requirement for entry into the competition: female gender. There are no other restrictions."
As Lin Huai'an performed the spell, he looked uneasily at his niece, An Zhengzheng.
In the past, there were beauty pageants, but they were usually annual assessments within the Hehuan Sect, with standards for women's appearance, figure, talents, and age.
Now, the eligibility to participate in the competition is simply open to women?!
Isn't this ridiculous! It's fine if a beautiful young woman with a lingering charm comes along, but what if the reward attracts an old and faded beauty? Wouldn't that be incredibly embarrassing?
My brother-in-law is the same; how could he let this little girl run wild? If it weren't for his pressure, he would never have come to host this competition.
I'm going to be laughed at to death today!
Although Lin Huai'an also loved his niece, he still felt somewhat ashamed of this kind of competition.
The standard of female beauty is at least fair-skinned, young, slender, tall, and so on.
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