Li Jingsheng never expected that because he was the one who signed Mo Yu up for the martial arts tournament, the first person to come looking for him wouldn’t be the parties involved, but Xi Feng.
The moment he stepped out of the crowd, Xi Feng grabbed him by the chin with his arm and pinned him straight into a corner of the wall.
Gazing at the other’s look of disgust and disdain, Li Jingsheng felt a teasing impulse rise within him: “What? My back has only just healed. Does Junior Brother want to try the front this time?”
Xi Feng’s face indeed froze for a fraction of a second before he snapped back to reality and snarled viciously, “Behave yourself, I’m not going to hit you. I only want to ask you one thing: was it you who signed Mo Yu up for this?”
This time it was Li Jingsheng’s turn to freeze for a moment, though he adjusted quickly and showed not a trace of panic: “Junior Brother, talking nonsense has its price. Pinning blame on others at random is not a very good habit.”
Li Jingsheng tried his best to flash a friendly smile at Xi Feng. He was naturally handsome with refined features, and his peach-blossom eyes carried a natural three-tenth air of affection when looking at someone. A smile right now made him look like a spring breeze blowing past.
Yet to Xi Feng, that smile felt just like a poisonous snake spitting its tongue, sending chills straight down his spine.
Feeling utterly nauseated, Xi Feng pulled back his arm and rubbed it twice, as if Li Jingsheng had something unclean on him.
Li Jingsheng’s smile instantly froze on his face.
Buddy, do you have to look so obviously disgusted? I’m still standing right here!
Rubbing his arms in exasperation, Xi Feng snapped, “If it wasn’t you, then who else could it be? I didn’t even see him go anywhere near the sign-ups those few days! Besides, that use, he doesn’t even have spiritual roots, so how could he sign up?”
Li Jingsheng hadn’t expected the other’s reasoning to be so solid. Maintaining his thick-skinned demeanor, he shrugged: “Well, then I wouldn’t know. In any case, it wasn’t me.”
Xi Feng stopped talking this time, merely fixing him with a look of utter contempt.
Long since used to the other’s dislike, Li Jingsheng found himself freed from the confinement and unhurriedly straightened the clothes that had been ruffled during their hasty encounter. He asked, “Does Junior Brother have anything else to ask?”
Knowing that not a single word of truth would ever come out of this person’s mouth, Xi Feng simply stopped asking and instead said, “You know he has no spiritual power. Stepping onto that stage is no different from marching to his death.”
Well, talk about a waste of breath. It turned out this little ancestor hadn’t taken a single word in.
Continuing to put on his senior brother airs, Li Jingsheng said, “Junior Brother, I just told you it wasn’t me.”
Internally, he was waving his hands: Even if I did sign him up, I’m doing it for his own good.
Seeming still unconvinced, Xi Feng narrowed his eyes at him: “Are you really his senior brother?”
Left utterly speechless by this questioning attitude tinged with disdain, Li Jingsheng could only chuckle.
Realizing that finding him wasn’t going to solve anything, Xi Feng asked his piece and then stormed off in a huff just as quickly as he had arrived.
Watching Xi Feng’s retreating back, Li Jingsheng couldn’t help but sigh: Truly worthy of being a pre-booked member of the protagonist’s team. They were just arguing with Mo Yu not long ago, yet so quickly they let bygones be bygones and are back to speaking up for him.
＊
In the end, Li Jingsheng still felt a lingering sense of unease. Mo Yu’s reaction earlier today had somewhat exceeded his expectations.
He had figured that even if Mo Yu found out, he should at least be shocked and angry, after all, anger could spark a bit of hidden potential. But today, that single look from the boy seemed to hold nothing but an unfathomable sorrow.
Recalling that lonely, desolate retreating figure, Li Jingsheng remembered how, despite being surrounded by a crowd, the boy had seemed completely cut off from the world. Just thinking about the scene made him feel heavy at heart.
Even though the other person was the protagonist, what if he suffered severe injuries due to overwhelming grief that ended up affecting his future cultivation path?
Summer had already arrived, yet the phoenix trees on Qize Mountain continued to burn with a fiery red glow.
Taking advantage of the opportunity when Mo Yu came to deliver dinner, Li Jingsheng kept him behind to have a heart-to-heart talk.
“Zigui, do you have any questions about the roster for this martial arts tournament?”
This effectively brought the issue out into the open.
Pressing his lips tightly together as if struggling with himself for a long time, Mo Yu finally spoke: “Senior Brother, was my name the one you entered?”
Having mastered the art of being thick-skinned, Li Jingsheng answered without the slightest burden: “Yes.”
Gazing at the utter lack of care on the other’s face, Mo Yu felt as though he had plunged into an icy abyss.
Reluctant to let it go, he asked once more: “Then does Senior Brother know what this martial arts tournament means for me?”
Those who participated in the tournament were the cream of the crop, for them, it might be a wonderful opportunity to make a name for themselves, but for Mo Yu, it was no different from walking to his execution.
Faced with this question, Li Jingsheng was the one who froze first. He had only considered the task requirements and only thought of this as the starting point for Mo Yu to astonish the world with a single brilliant feat.
Yet he had completely overlooked the fact that the boy currently knew nothing about all this. Not to mention, the boy had practically risked half his life during the preliminary rounds in the original plot.
At this thought, his expression stiffened as he glanced sideways at Mo Yu’s heavy, darkened demeanor.
So, the boy actually thought he was sending him to his death?
Crap, crap, crap, this misunderstanding had blown up into something huge!
Judging by the boy’s expression, that was unequivocally what he was thinking.
Hurryingly steadying his expression, Li Jingsheng put on an unfathomably profound facade: “Babe. Junior Brother.”
Shit, I slipped up!
Stealing a sideways glance at Mo Yu, he saw that the boy’s expression hadn’t changed, meaning he probably hadn’t noticed.
Taking a deep breath, he continued: “Did you think I was sending you to your death?”
Mo Yu lowered his head without answering.
Understanding dawned on Li Jingsheng, so he really did think that.
He immediately scrambled to patch things up: “How could Junior Brother think that?! I merely wanted to use this martial arts tournament to give Junior Brother a chance to learn from the experience.”
Mo Yu raised his eyes to look at him, a trace of hesitation lingering in his gaze.
Pressing his advantage, Li Jingsheng patted Mo Yu’s shoulder and said, “Rest assured, Junior Brother only needs to give it your all. I guarantee Junior Brother will be fine.”
Not only will he be fine, but he will also take first place in a single sweep.
Seeing the other’s confident expression, coupled with the inner voice declaring “take first place in a single sweep,” the ice in Mo Yu’s heart cracked slightly.
Li Jingsheng’s words acted like a sedative, steadying his wavering state of mind.
Things having reached this point, he had no choice but to give it his absolute all.
＊
The next day, when Jin Yunhao came looking for him, Mo Yu was in the courtyard practicing newly learned talismans.
Jin Yunhao retained his usual pristine and aloof demeanor, radiating a bright and open air, yet a rare crease wrinkled his otherwise smooth brow.
Welcoming him forward, Mo Yu cupped his hands in a salute: “Is Eldest Senior Brother here to check on Senior Brother? Senior Brother is still resting inside the inner room.”
Waving a hand, Jin Yunhao said, “I came to see you today. Have you checked the roster for the martial arts tournament?”
So it was about this.
Mo Yu nodded: “I have.”
Jin Yunhao asked him: “What on earth is going on here? With your abilities, there’s no way you could register! Was it…” As if reluctant to voice the rest, he finally forced it out: “Was it Junior Brother who did this?”
Once spoken aloud, it was as if a spell had been lifted, and Jin Yunhao continued, “If this wasn’t your own intention, the Elders’ Council can help you cancel your registration. I came today specifically to ask for your thoughts.”
This martial arts tournament was indeed unsuited for Mo Yu, and furthermore, he certainly hadn’t registered himself.
Yet when the opportunity to cancel his registration was laid out right before him, Mo Yu hesitated.
He recalled the confident expression with which the young man had assured his safety last night, and in the end, he simply said, “Eldest Senior Brother, Senior Brother helped me register for the tournament, but it is my own wish to participate. Thank you for the elders’ concern, but the registration does not need to be canceled.”
Looking at the boy’s resolute expression, Jin Yunhao wanted to say more but held back, ultimately just patting his shoulder: “Junior Brother, don’t push yourself too hard when the time comes. Senior Brother will step in promptly.”
Jin Yunhao wasn’t participating in the martial arts tournament this year, instead, he had taken on the role of a referee. If Mo Yu truly couldn’t hold on, he could step in and halt the match in time to preserve Mo Yu’s life to the greatest extent possible.
Naturally catching the implication behind those words, Mo Yu offered his thanks: “Thank you, Eldest Senior Brother.”
＊
Meanwhile, Li Jingsheng wasn’t sitting idle either. Realizing that Mo Yu still had preliminary matches to get through and fearing the boy might get banged up and hinder his subsequent path of immortality, he rummaged through boxes and cabinets looking for miraculous pills and life-saving divine artifacts.
After searching high and low, the life-saving divine artifacts were nowhere to be found, but he did manage to dig up a bone whistle.
At first, he assumed it was just an ordinary whistle, but upon closer inspection, he realized it looked more like an actual bone.
Specifically, it looked like a human finger bone.
The moment that thought popped into his head, Li Jingsheng instantly felt as though he were touching a hot potato and dropped the bone whistle out of his hand.
The whistle made a rather peculiar sound upon hitting the floor, not the dull thud one would expect, but rather a crisp sound like a bird’s chirp.
Almost simultaneously with the whistle hitting the ground, Xiao Yu, who had been profoundly drowsy over the past few days, snapped awake as if startled out of a thousand-year-old dream.
First staring blankly at Li Jingsheng for a split second, it then lunged toward the bone whistle as if reacting on pure instinct.
Watching Xiao Yu’s abnormal behavior, Li Jingsheng felt a twinge of guilt.
This wouldn’t happen to be some crucial plot prop, would it?
He had been thoroughly startled the moment he realized what the object was, and lacking any sense of proportion in his haste, he had no idea whether he had broken the thing or not.
Gazing at Xiao Yu’s absent-minded, feathered back, he cautiously inched closer and poked its tail feathers: “Are you alright? What on earth is this thing? Is it very valuable?”
Recovering quickly, Xiao Yu curled its feathered tail around the bone whistle, placed it firmly into Li Jingsheng’s hand, and said with rare solemnity: “Host, this is extremely important! You must keep it safe!”
Seeing the serious expression on the feather, Li Jingsheng couldn’t help but chuckle. He poked Xiao Yu and smiled: “Got it.”
Knowing he hadn’t taken it to heart, Xiao Yu emphasized it once more: “It really is very important!”
Only then did Li Jingsheng turn serious: “I will definitely keep it safe.”
That finally set Xiao Yu’s mind at ease.
Staring at the bone whistle, Li Jingsheng wondered what was so remarkable about it that made Xiao Yu repeat the warning with such emphasis. After pondering it for a while, he ultimately couldn’t resist asking a question: “Is this a human… human bone?”
Xiao Yu shook its head immediately: “No, how could this possibly be a human bone?”
That reassured Li Jingsheng. As long as it wasn’t human bone, everything was fine, even though this was an immortal cultivation world, deep down he still harbored a bit of fear.
He safely tucked the bone whistle away, even thinking about finding a piece of string someday to hang it around his neck so it would be easier to keep safe.
＊
Time flew by in a flash, and the day of the martial arts tournament arrived in the blink of an eye.
Although Li Jingsheng hadn’t managed to find any life-saving divine artifacts, he had gathered a whole stack of talismans and secretly placed them in Mo Yu’s room.
Though he had no idea what uses those talismans served, he figured at least some of them would come in handy.
The martial arts tournament drew a massive crowd, leaving not a single empty seat. Competitors rolled up their sleeves and flexed their muscles, eager to display their skills, though this year came with a few extra rounds of gossip whispered behind backs.
“Hey, have you heard? That good-for-nothing Mo Yu came to enter the competition too!”
“Of course I heard. The tournament hasn’t even started yet, and this guy has already made a name for himself.”
“You said it! A total good-for-nothing, what’s he even coming to join the fun for? Who knows how he even managed to sign up?”
“Ah, well, you can’t put it that way. With him around, we can easily make a tidy profit with our eyes closed this year!”
“That’s right, Old Qi, you’re still the smart one!”
Every year’s martial arts tournament came with winners and losers, and correspondingly, people would place bets to guess the outcomes, those who guessed right won money, and those who guessed wrong lost it.
Such wagers generally carried a balance of risk and opportunity, so usually not many people participated, never amounting to much of a scale, thus, the immortal realm hadn’t bothered sending anyone to regulate it.
Seeming eager to start the matches and get it over with, Mo Yu was scheduled for the very first bout. Squinting his eyes, Li Jingsheng checked the opponent listed on the public notice board.
A surge of joy washed over him, it was Wang Yong.
Since that kid was good for nothing, he probably wouldn’t be particularly difficult to deal with.
With the roster of competitors finalized, the betting tables grew unusually lively.
This was a rare opportunity to make money with one’s eyes closed, so naturally, no one was going to pass it up.
Participants in the martial arts tournament weren’t solely from the immortal realm, members of the demon race and various other sects were taking part as well.
Those in the know uniformly placed their stakes on Wang Yong, leaving only a few clueless outsiders scattering a sparse handful of bets on Mo Yu’s side.
Naturally, Li Jingsheng wasn’t going to miss out on this chance to make some cash. Taking out his entire net worth with the grand momentum of throwing a thousand gold pieces, his knuckle-defined fingers dropped a money pouch squarely into Mo Yu’s betting grid.
It wasn’t that absolutely no one bet on Mo Yu, but those who did only wagered small change. The fact that a wealthy sucker was suddenly betting such a large sum caused the onlookers to sneer while simultaneously wondering who this person was.
Lifting their gaze to look, they saw a youth clad in red robes, his brows and eyes brimming with unbridled confidence, his refined aura matching a spring breeze, with the corners of his mouth curved into a smile that made one feel as though bathed in warmth.
The youth raised a brow slightly, pointing a finger at Mo Yu’s grid as he spoke in a clear, ringing voice: “Boss, I’m putting it all on him.”