After the Grand Opening Ceremony ended, the disciples of the Sword-Forgetting Pavilion quickly organized the roster of all registered cultivators, announced the fresh grouping list, and issued an identity jade badge to each cultivator as proof of entry for the subsequent competition.
There were numerous participating cultivators, so three days were arranged for the prelims alone. The four looked over the list: none of them were in the first day; Jin You was in the morning of the second day, while Yan Baichuan was in the afternoon; Lingyun and Ying Chuang were both arranged for the afternoon of the third day. Uncontested on the first day, Yan Baichuan and Jin You discussed making a trip to find Pei Wuji, while Lingyun and Ying Chuang stayed at the competition grounds to observe the battles and make early preparations for the subsequent matches.
Yan Baichuan had returned the token to Pei Wuji previously, so right now to avoid trouble, he took advantage of a moment with few people to slip directly onto Sword-Forgetting Peak, hearing a fierce argument before even revealing himself.
“Ning Zhiyuan, you better speak with a bit more respect! Ever since I, Su Yi, took charge of Sword-Tempering Peak, I have made zero errors, yet I am to be suspected by you merely for being a woman? Where in the world is there such a rationale!” Su Yi wore a plain hairpin in her hair, yet her bright, charming face was full of rage at this moment, making even Elder Ning Zhiyuan, who usually had a fiery temper, freeze for a moment, as Su Yi had truly never lost her temper since joining the Sword-Forgetting Pavilion, showing how angry she was at this moment.
Elder Ning seemed a bit unable to step down gracefully, yet still stiffened his neck to argue a sentence: “Don’t misinterpret my meaning! The thief hasn’t been caught yet, so doesn’t that mean both you and I have suspicion!”
Su Yi let out a cold snort: “Then why didn’t Elder Ning go ask Elder Hua first, and instead questioned me before the Sect Master? Or could it be that Elder Ning has guilt in his heart, and thus falsely accused others at random?”
“You!” Elder Ning couldn’t win the argument against Su Yi, and with Pei Wuji watching on the side, Elder Ning had no choice but to apologize to Su Yi before Pei Wuji. Su Yi let out a cold snort as an acceptance, letting this matter be temporarily glossed over. Shaking his head, Pei Wuji said to the two: “Investigate.”
Su Yi and Ning Zhiyuan received orders and left, and only then did Yan Baichuan and Jin You dare to reveal themselves. The person behind the scenes had formidable methods, and now that internal strife was stirred up among the elders of the Sword-Forgetting Pavilion, going to scheme for something further would surely be even more convenient.
When Pei Wuji saw the two of Yan Baichuan, a bit of confusion still lingered in his gaze, that look seeming like asking why you didn’t go participate in the prelims, running over here to my place for what?
Yan Baichuan let out a tsh: “Isn’t it seeing you get calculated against, to see if there is anything we can help with. What on earth is going on with Dichen?”
Pei Wuji let out a sigh, a deep fatigue in his tone: “Not my doing.”
“Nonsense, of course I know it wasn’t you, I am asking about the matter on Sword-Sacrificing Peak.” Yan Baichuan guessed an insider mole appeared in the Sword-Forgetting Pavilion, and looking at Pei Wuji’s appearance, it seemed he had not investigated who it was yet.
Pei Wuji’s eyebrows smoothed slightly, as if he was not completely unprepared as Yan Baichuan guessed, casting a reassuring glance at the two, his words faintly taking on the demeanor of a sect master: “Nothing.” Having finished speaking, Pei Wuji’s curious gaze shuttled back and forth between Yan Baichuan and Jin You, as if wanting to ask something, but in the end failed to ask it out.
Jin You was stared at in total bewilderment; if Pei Wuji spoke a word he could still guess a bit, but now with only glances left, how was he supposed to guess? Yan Baichuan, on the other hand, perceived a bit of it, yet for some reason did not open his mouth.
“Let’s go, head back to take a look at our subsequent opponents, Dichen cannot fall into other people’s hands.” Yan Baichuan extended his hand to circle Jin You’s neck, turning the person in a direction toward the Sword-Testing Peak competition grounds, getting his head hit hard by Jin You’s folding fan. Holding his head and shouting ouch, he casually turned his head back, shaking his head at Pei Wuji.
“Steps floating, arms powerlessness, coming to snatch Dichen with even this little strength? If there are no mirrors in the sect there is always urine, right, not even taking a piss to… mhm? Mhm mhm mhm!” Before Lingyun could finish her words, her mouth was covered by Ying Chuang, instantly turning her head to look at Ying Chuang in anger. Unmoved, Ying Chuang even covered it tighter: “Before leaving, Jin You instructed that if you couldn’t hold back and started talking nonsense, to let me cover your mouth, saving us from drawing attention and inviting trouble.”
“Mhm mhm! Mhm mhm mhm mhm mhm mhm? Mhm mhm!” Lingyun couldn’t speak words, and Ying Chuang didn’t understand, but knew she was definitely cursing him, simply not looking at Lingyun’s eyes, pretending to be very interested in the weaklings pecking at each other on stage.
When Jin You returned, he saw Ying Chuang covering Lingyun’s mouth, his eyes staring unblinkingly at the stage, with Lingyun still saying something with mhm mhm mhm. Anyway, it shouldn’t be important words; if he didn’t understand, he didn’t understand.
Seeing Jin You return as if seeing a savior, Ying Chuang let go of his hand and ran over, eyes shining: “Roast chicken!”
Jin You reached out his hand to Yan Baichuan, and the latter took out a roast chicken from the small kitchen of the Sword-Forgetting Pavilion from his Qiankun bag, bought with Yan Baichuan’s own money. Holding the roast chicken, Ying Chuang found it very appetizing paired with the duel on stage.
Lingyun gave a hateful glance at the happily eating Ying Chuang and the glossy roast chicken in his hand, this guy, even after calling her sister, actually betrayed her for a roast chicken!
“What nonsense were you talking again just now? Why were neighboring cultivators all looking over here when I walked over?” A single sentence from Jin You made Lingyun deflate her flags and silence her drums, her words of quibbling carrying guilt as well: “Didn’t I just say two sentences about the poor strength of those two fighting up there, nothing more.”
Jin You looked toward the stage, where the purple-robed cultivator on stage had floating steps, a pale face, and dense cold sweat all over his forehead, dripping down along his hairline, as if enduring some pain. The cultivator opposite with snake patterns embroidered on his clothes showed no mercy whatsoever, the places aimed at by the heart-piercing nails in his hand all being vital spots, throwing them toward the purple-robed cultivator’s eyes, forehead, and heart, every move ruthless and deadly. The purple-robed cultivator swung his sword to forcefully knock down two heart-piercing nails in front, but was hit straight in the chest by the last heart-piercing nail, letting out a wave of miserable screams.
Yan Baichuan’s eyes turned slightly cold. Right now it was merely the prelims, yet someone already acted so ruthlessly, so subsequent matches were afraid to see unexpected turns.
Carried down from the competition stage by people, the purple-robed cultivator had more air going out than coming in, making it afraid to be dangerous for him. The remaining cultivators felt anxious in their hearts, looking guardedly at the triumphant cultivator on stage.
Triumphantly, the cultivator on stage voiced mockery toward the half-dead purple-robed cultivator: “I thought how formidable you righteous cultivators were, but seeing today you turn out to be an embroidered pillow. Sha Yi of Teng Snake Valley, if you want revenge you are welcome anytime!”
Without caring for other people’s gazes after speaking, Sha Yi went straight down the competition stage and left, clearing the grounds for the next match. The purple-robed cultivator’s fellow disciples intended to argue a couple of sentences, but Sha Yi didn’t even take a glance, vanishing from everyone’s sight.
Yan Baichuan had heard of this sect. People in Teng Snake Valley lived in deep seclusion, disliking dealing with other cultivators, yet it was not a sect that appeared in recent years. Sha Yi possessed superb hidden weapon skills, as several heart-piercing nails were not launched at the same time, but went toward the opponent in two separate times. The previous few respectively stabbed toward the opponent’s forehead and eyes, all being vital spots full of pressuring feeling, where ordinary people’s first reaction was to dodge, and the last heart-piercing nail was launched at the heart right at this moment, intending to kill with one strike.
Sha Yi’s footwork was somewhat different from what was cultivated by cultivators known to Yan Baichuan. The footwork he used was rapid and bizarre, his frame flashing like a long snake tracking prey, faintly carrying the sound of snake scales brushing across gravel on the ground as he passed, which should be the sect secret technique of Teng Snake Valley.
Jin You let out an “eh“, looking at the purple-robed cultivator whose vitality was gradually fading, asking Yan Baichuan uncertainly: “Yan Baichuan, do you see if he looks like he’s poisoned?”
Yan Baichuan carefully observed the purple-robed cultivator, finding no wounds anywhere exposed on his body, the only wound being on his heart. Disregarding the angry gazes of the purple-robed cultivator’s fellow disciples, Yan Baichuan inspected him roughly once, then his eyes suddenly turned cold, raising his hand to take off his boot, inside of which a silver needle was embedded, clearly dipped in poison by someone.
Remembering that cultivator’s previous floating steps and face full of cold sweat, it should be inseparable from this. It was just that the outcome was set, so saying these now was too late as well, able only to take early precautions before the next match started.
The purple-robed cultivator was taken away by his fellow disciples for treatment, and Jin You picked up that silver needle to put it away carefully, preparing to show it to Qi Huang when meeting him. Yan Baichuan spoke in a sour tone: “Only known each other for how long, believing him so much?”
“One day. Who asked my vision for judging people to always be good? Otherwise you go learn medical skills too, so I won’t need to ask others.” The more people humored Yan Baichuan, the more energetic he got, so when Jin You went in a circle, he failed to pick up the words instead, simply laughing: “If I knew medical skills, I’d check your pulse first to see when this thorn-stabbing skill was learned?”
Standing with arms folded, Jin You’s slender fingers rested on the gold-and-red brocade robe, tapping lightly now and then: “Don’t bother worrying your mind, you better cure your own alcoholic sickness first. If silver money isn’t enough to use, I will mortgage you to the shopkeeper to scrub wine jars. You have great strength, so maybe you can earn some back, worthwhile.”
Yan Baichuan shook his head and sighed: “You are making me sell my art and sell my body, and still plan to give me only the money for hard labor. When are you going to find Qi Huang, I have something I want to inquire about too.”
Feeling confused in his heart, Jin You still answered his question: “Brother Qi’s match is tomorrow afternoon, but tomorrow both you and I have to take the field. If it involves cultivators, asking earlier is proper after all, how about this afternoon?”
Yan Baichuan held the same idea as Jin You, taking advantage of early rather than late, asking the situation clearly so he could have a handle in his heart and take early precautions: “Then it’s settled. Lingyun, Ying Chuang, do you two prepare to continue watching the matches this afternoon?”
Lingyun originally planned so, but changed her mind after watching Sha Yi’s battle: “Just now Sha Yi kept saying ‘you righteous cultivators’, making me suspect that in this Divine Weapons List, sects like Teng Snake Valley that sneaked in should be present elsewhere too. If they hold the same prejudice against righteous cultivators, I am afraid.”
Rarely frowning, Ying Chuang asked uncertainly: “Is fighting like Sha Yi wrong?”
Reflecting for a moment, Jin You attempted to explain to Ying Chuang: “It can’t be talked about as right or wrong either, except that righteous cultivators usually emphasize openness and honor, leaving room when exchanging moves. After all, it’s merely a competition, not a life-and-death moment, so there is no need to make lethal moves.”
Ying Chuang still didn’t quite understand: “But hitting a snake still requires hitting seven inches. If changed to a snake, it should also hit the opponent’s seven inches, right? Seems not right either, humans don’t have seven inches.”
A flash of inspiration crossed Jin You’s mind: “Wait, what did you say just now?”
Ying Chuang pointed at himself: “Me? I said if a snake wants to hit a human, of course it has to hit the human’s seven inches.”
Jin You understood the key point within, looking at Yan Baichuan with certainty in his eyes: “Say, could Sha Yi be of the snake tribe? No, this phrasing isn’t quite accurate.”
With tacit understanding, Yan Baichuan took up Jin You’s words: “It should be said, the entire Teng Snake Valley isn’t human tribe?”
Taking out that silver needle to play with again, Jin You said in quite some interest: “Sha Yi acted so heavily, so it seems necessary for us to properly understand this purple-robed sect.”