The competition continued the next day.
A light drizzle fell, a white mist shrouding the mountains, the air crisp and refreshing.
Mu Zhe held an umbrella for Shen Gurong, shielding him from the downpour.
Ever since leaving Fanjiang Residence, Shen Gurong's gaze had been unconsciously searching for something, and he seemed rather distracted when Mu Zhe spoke to him.
Upon reaching the competition platform, a group of chattering disciples immediately fell silent upon seeing him, obediently refusing to utter a sound.
Shen Gurong was used to this. Just as he was about to go to the pavilion with Mu Zhe, he heard someone calling him from not far away.
"Your Majesty! Good morning!"
It was Qingyu's voice.
Everyone around turned to look at Qingyu in unison, their faces filled with shock. They thought this person was incredibly audacious; daring to approach someone like the Holy Lord, whose mere glance could send chills down one's spine—wasn't he afraid of death? Qingyu, utterly fearless, leaned against the last row of the stands, grinning and waving at Shen Gurong with an extremely cheerful and unconsciously affectionate attitude, as if he were merely treating the fearsome Holy Emperor as a friend.
Shen Gurong, unconcerned about the others' attitudes, slightly turned his head to look at Qingyu.
But the next instant, his eyes, which had been shining with anticipation, instantly dimmed.
Mu Zhe, frowning and calculating when he could beat Qingyu up, heard a heart-wrenching scream from his master.
'Where are my...fox...ears?!'
Mu Zhe: "..."
Qingyu, leaning against the railing, smiled at Shen Gurong with narrowed eyes. A soft silk hat covered his head, completely concealing his fox ears; not a single hair was visible.
Shen Gurong...Shen Gurong's heart was breaking.
Shen Gurong, utterly dejected, followed Mu Zhe to the inner room of the pavilion, even casually ignoring Xi Guxing's greeting.
Mu Zhe was practically grinding his teeth in frustration. At first, he thought Qingyu's comment about Shen Gurong praising his fox ears was just an exaggeration, but now it seemed it wasn't an exaggeration at all; on the contrary, it was more of a revelation.
Shen Gurong didn't just like fox ears; he was absolutely smitten.
Mu Zhe held back for a long time, but couldn't resist. He knelt before Shen Gurong and tentatively asked, "Master, what do you think of... Qingyu?"
Shen Gurong tilted his head: "Fox ears?"
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe's lips twitched slightly.
After blurting it out, Shen Gurong belatedly realized his mistake. He coughed and said, "He's a good child."
Fox—ears!
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe forced a smile: "Is...is that so? It seems neither the demon race nor the human cultivators really like him."
Shen Gurong frowned: "Because he can't cultivate with his fox ears?"
Fox ears! Ahhhhh!
Mu Zhe: "..."
Shen Gurong said seriously: "I taught you before, the body is just a shell, a cultivator doesn't need to care too much about it."
Fox ears!!!
Mu Zhe: "..."
You've been calling him "fox ears" the whole time, you haven't stopped.
Mu Zhe sighed silently and didn't say anything more.
Mu Zhe was right. Because of those fox ears, Qingyu's status among the demon race and human cultivators was extremely awkward. He was often bullied because of his low cultivation level when he was young.
The demon race thought he was a defective product without even a demonic appearance, while human cultivators despised him as a half-human, half-demon monster.
Over the years, perhaps only Shen Gurong had ever been so fond of those fox ears, which symbolized shame to Qingyu.
Qingyu spoke with the Holy Lord he had always admired. Although Mu Zhe had forced him into a compromising position, his mood remained high.
On the second day, Qingyu only went up to the arena once.
After knocking someone down, Wen Liubing expected him to unleash his usual bravado and provoke hatred, even making him drawing his Lanting Sword. But Qingyu, contrary to his usual behavior, bowed slightly and gracefully stepped down from the arena.
Wen Liubing angrily sheathed his sword, feeling a pang of regret.
Unaware that he was on the verge of death, Qingyu carelessly went to the pavilion to see the Demon Lord.
Although the Demon Lord disliked him, he was the only one capable of fighting Mu Zhe of Liren Peak in this Chanwei Tournament, so he didn't embarrass him much and even praised him a few times, a rare occurrence for him. Xi Guxing, who also admired Qingyu, asked him, "Who is your master?"
Qingyu scratched his head, seemingly finding the question strange. "Huh? I don't have a master."
Xi Guxing was taken aback, looking disapprovingly at the Demon Lord.
The Demon Lord tucked Xue Manzhuang, who was about to pounce, into his sleeve, and said without changing his expression, "We demons respect natural growth and don't have that master-disciple system."
"That's right." Even facing many powerful figures of great importance in the Three Realms, Qingyu showed no fear. He said with a smile, "I've been training in various parts of the Three Realms since I was young. If I live, my cultivation improves; if I die, it's due to bad luck, the choice of Heaven. I can't blame anyone else."
Xi Guxing could roughly tell that Qingyu was not favored by the Demon Lord, so he didn't say anything more, nodded slightly, and let him leave.
Qingyu didn't understand Xi Guxing's meaning and pressed on, saying, "Can I go into the inner room to find the Holy Lord?"
Xi Guxing frowned. Feng Yun, sitting to the side, turned her gaze away from the arena. Hearing this, she glanced at the Demon Lord with a half-smile, seemingly seeing through his scheme.
Of all those who came to the Chanwei Assembly this time, which one was truly there for the competition? They had spent so much time and effort, only hoping to use this opportunity to confirm whether the divine artifact was with Shen Feng Xue.
But Shen Feng Xue was far too wary. Even though everyone pressured Xi Guxing to ensure that the Holy Lord of Liren Peak would attend the competition, Shen Feng Xue only appeared briefly yesterday, not even giving them a chance to see him before going to the inner room.
With the barrier separating them, there was no way to know what he was doing inside.
This Demon Lord, however, had Qingyu find an excuse to swagger off to see the Holy Lord.
Xi Guxing cherished his junior brother so much; how could he possibly allow a half-human, half-demon junior to rashly go to see the Holy Lord?
Just then, Shen Gurong's cold voice came from inside: "Come in."
Xi Guxing frowned. Shen Gurong seemed to guess what he was thinking, and softened his voice, "Senior Brother, it's alright."
Xi Guxing finally granted permission.
Everyone present: "..."
Even the Demon Lord was stunned, not expecting the problem that had been troubling him for days to be solved so easily.
The Demon Lord looked at Qingyu and transmitted his voice to him, "Go, check if the divine artifact is on Shen Feng Xue."
Qingyu seemed not to hear, happily lifting the beaded curtain and entering.
The inner room was elegantly furnished. The revered Holy Lord Shen was sitting by the window, his elbows propped against the window frame, casually looking down.
Mu Zhe was kneeling to the side, brewing tea. Seeing Qingyu approach, he gave him a cold, sidelong glance.
Qingyu was nonchalant with everyone else, but he was extremely respectful to Shen Gurong. He even knelt down properly and bowed, his eyes crinkling as he said, "Qingyu greets the Holy Lord. The Holy Lord is truly like an immortal; Qingyu is completely mesmerized."
Mu Zhe: "..."
He thought coldly, "Sycophant! His master wouldn't be fooled by such clumsy and fake praise..."
Shen Gurong: "Come on, keep praising me! Ha, ha, ha, keep going, don't stop."
Mu Zhe: "..."
...Blinded.
His master was fooled.
Qingyu had a particularly sweet tongue, and praise flowed effortlessly from his lips. In just a few words, he had Shen Gurong overjoyed.
Qingyu was overjoyed and was about to try to remove his soft hat so the Holy Lord could see it again when, with a slight movement of his hand, Mu Zhe's murderous gaze swept over.
Qingyu's hand trembled.
Mu Zhe stared at him menacingly, coldly transmitting his voice: "If you dare remove your soft hat, I'll cut your ears off at the root."
Qingyu: "..."
Qingyu trembled and lowered his hand.
Shen Gurong had been staring at his head, initially expecting Qingyu to remove his hat, his heart filled with anticipation. But he merely adjusted his hat and then lowered his hand again.
Shen Gurong's heart shattered once more.
Mu Zhe, standing to the side, was green with envy.
Just then, Qingyu suddenly seemed to remember something, his eyes shining as he looked at Shen Gurong, saying, "Your Majesty, my cultivation has improved these past few days, and I can finally transform!"
Shen Gurong: "Hmm?"
Transform? Change his ears?
No! Fox ears!
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe gritted his teeth.
Shen Gurong looked around in confusion: What was that sound?
Qingyu stood up abruptly, letting out a "whoosh," and was enveloped in a surge of demonic spiritual energy before exploding on the spot.
When the smoke cleared, a small silver fox lay on the mat, its beastly eyes crinkling, smiling sweetly at Shen Gurong: "Chirp chirp!"
Shen Gurong: "..."
Mu Zhe: "..."
Shen Gurong froze for a long time, then suddenly raised his left hand and pressed it firmly against his right wrist.
No, you are the Holy Lord. Shen Gurong thought expressionlessly, many people are watching outside, and your disciple is still here. You can't touch him, absolutely not.
Mu Zhe: "..."
Shen Gurong perfectly controlled himself, nodding nonchalantly: "Not bad."
Qingyu's nine tails swayed gently like ribbons, incredibly fluffy, looking very tempting to touch.
Hearing the Holy Lord praise him, Qingyu became even happier. When he was happy, he liked to chase his tail, and soon he was spinning around on the mat.
Mu Zhe watched helplessly as his master's grip tightened.
Shen Gurong took a deep breath and looked out the window, determined not to be tempted by this vixen.
He seemed to see something and suddenly said, "Mu Zhe, isn't it your turn?"
Mu Zhe was startled, only then belatedly realizing he still had a competition today.
He stood up, glanced at Qingyu rolling around and throwing a tantrum on the mat, then looked at Shen Gurong.
Shen Gurong said, "It's alright, let him play here."
Mu Zhe reluctantly left.
The second day's competition was between the thirteen winners of yesterday's twenty-six matches.
Mu Zhe was in a hurry to get back. He went up on stage without even looking at the contestants, sweeping them off the stage in one swift motion. Without waiting for Wen Liubing to announce the results, he quickly left.
Back in the inner room of the pavilion, as expected, the fox spirit had already pounced into his master's arms. At that moment, Shen Gurong was teasing Qingyu by holding the silk tassel from his waist sash.
Qingyu, driven by its beastly instincts, couldn't stand the tassel dangling in front of him. It straightened up, howling and jumping, reaching out its paws to grab the silk tassel.
Mu Zhe: "..."
Both man and beast were stunned when Mu Zhe returned.
Shen Gurong expressionlessly tossed the silk tassel aside, turning his head to continue watching the competition stage as if nothing had happened. His brows were furrowed, as if some masters were exchanging blows on the stage. Qingyu lay on Shen Gurong's lap, licking its paws, its fox eyes narrowed, exuding a strangely alluring sensuality.
It whispered to Mu Zhe, "Your master is so kind."
Mu Zhe: "..."
Qingyu was merely stating a fact, but Mu Zhe took it as a provocation. His face hardened, and he grabbed Qingyu by the scruff of the neck, pulling it off Shen Gurong.
Qingyu wasn't afraid, smiling at him with narrowed eyes.
Mu Zhe spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice low and sinister: "Tomorrow, you wait."
Qingyu: "Chirp."
Wait, I'll wait.
Shen Gurong, hearing their conversation, lamented that he wouldn't be able to pet the fox, and asked, "What are you talking about?"
Mu Zhe turned his head, the gloomy aura he had shown towards Qingyu completely gone, replaced by a gentle, jade-like demeanor—a complete change of expression.
He said softly, "Qingyu is just tired, he wants me to take him home."
Qingyu opened his mouth: "Chirp..."
I didn't...
Mu Zhe reached out his demonic claws and grabbed Qingyu's fox mouth, silencing him.
Qingyu: "..."
Shen Gurong was somewhat disappointed, but didn't insist: "Alright, then take him home."
Mu Zhe bowed respectfully, picked up Qingyu, and left the inner room.
Qingyu was held by the back of his collar, his limbs dangling: "Chirp?"
You really want to take me home?
Mu Zhe remained silent.
Qingyu believed him and happily said, "Chirp."
I've decided to be your friend!
Mu Zhe sneered, walked to the corridor outside the inner room, pushed open a window, and ruthlessly threw Qingyu off the building.
Qingyu: "..."
Mu Zhe cleanly and efficiently "sent" Qingyu away and returned to the inner room.
Shen Gurong: "So fast?"
Mu Zhe showed a gentle look that only appeared in front of Shen Gurong, and said lightly: "Halfway through, he wanted to go back by himself."
"Okay." Shen Gurong didn't doubt it, "Qingyu seems to have good cultivation. I would like to see you two fighting as soon as possible."
Mu Zhe also wanted to beat Qingyu as soon as possible, and said with a smile: "Master can see tomorrow."
Shen Gurong nodded and looked at him appreciatively.
Mu Zhe probably admires the fox-eared... Qingyu, so he can't wait to fight with him.
Mu Zhe: "..."
Shen Gurong: It is really a friendship between young people, without any impurities.
Mu Zhe said nothing.
His desire to beat Qingyu was truly genuine, without any impurities.
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