Sang Chencao said calmly, “Do not worry. It was like this even when Feng Rong was around. Now, I expect Zhou Gui has made it even more difficult. She will never allow anyone else to pluck that flower.”
Feng Yun’ai didn’t look away. She watched as a woman holding a whip beamed with a bright smile, suddenly lashing her weapon toward the Golden-Stone Heavy Sword. Before anyone else could take the stage, she intended to perform the act of Plucking the Fragrance.
Unfortunately, as soon as the whip wrapped around the heavy sword, it was repelled by that invisible qi. Immediately after, another person leaped onto the stage to fight her.
The Hero Recruitment Meet continued day and night. From the blazing midday sun, they fought without pause until the moon hung high in the sky. Not a single person left the venue. Everyone was entranced, not even feeling hunger or fatigue.
Before this, Feng Yun’ai had never seen such exquisite duels. Though these people’s sword styles were not as great as Feng Rong’s, they each had their own schools and subtleties. It was something that couldn’t be summed up simply by “high” or “low” skill levels.
It was no wonder Feng Rong had been obsessed with the sword. Having seen so many flashes of blades and shadows of knives, how could she have been content to watch the world from the bottom of a well? She must have strived for perfection, intending to incorporate every shadow and light in the world into her Solitary Peak Sword Art to achieve her own fulfillment.
Feng Yun’ai was so dazzled that she nearly fell into a trance. It was only when the person beside her let out a bored yawn that her consciousness was pulled back. She hurriedly lowered her head and closed her eyes, steadying her mind. Yet the moment she closed them, those brilliant and strange martial arts still seemed to flicker before her.
“Are these not in the Jianghu Records, Xiuxiu?” Sang Chencao asked with a smile. Taking advantage of the thick night, she boldly lifted the edge of Feng Yun’ai’s white veil.
Feng Yun’ai froze instantly. Fortunately, the other woman moved extremely close, effectively blocking the gap she had created. But at such proximity, their breaths mingled, thick and inseparable.
Feng Yun’ai tried to act natural, her voice calm, but her pale eyes shifted uncomfortably to the side. “How can words on a page compare to seeing it with one’s own eyes?”
“So you were lost in it? Obsessed?” Sang Chencao narrowed her eyes slightly.
“Merely surprised,” Feng Yun’ai said softly.
“Good Xiuxiu, being obsessed with the sword is not a bad thing. But if you follow Feng Rong’s path, you might not even realize when you’ve been plotted against,” Sang Chencao said at a leisurely pace.
Feng Yun’ai pursed her lips and said nothing.
“No matter. I shall look after you,” Sang Chencao offered kindly.
Feng Yun’ai didn’t believe her for a second. She frowned and said, “We are mere acquaintances. You said yourself that if trouble arises, we each seek our own path to survival.”
“What, are you unhappy about that now?” Sang Chencao’s snake-like eyes curved slightly.
Feng Yun’ai felt this woman was full of nonsense, without a single word of sincerity. Such people were the most selfish in books—she would play a trick on someone and then have the gall to ask why they were unhappy.
She pulled the white veil back into place and said coldly, “Hardly. Whatever you say goes.”
Sang Chencao gave a short laugh and turned around. “I’m going out for a while. The major sects haven’t fully taken the stage yet; it will be a long time before the Hero Recruitment Meet concludes.”
“Where are you going?” Feng Yun’ai asked.
“Taking my snake out for some air,” Sang Chencao said casually. “And I might as well look for traces of Wen Lanxin while I’m at it.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she vanished into the crowd without a trace.
Feng Yun’ai was forced to keep her eyes on the Sword Trial Stage, fearing someone might suddenly pluck the blossom while Sang was away and ruin their plans.
The fighting on stage was fierce. Every time someone got close to the Golden-Wanderer Eternal Flower, someone else would strike them away. By now, the person defending the stage had stood for over four hours. He gripped his sword, panting like an ox, his gaze betraying his exhaustion. He probably wouldn’t last through another two opponents.
Feng Yun’ai could see the pattern. Whenever a truly powerful fighter appeared on stage, the three groups closely allied with Zhou Gui—the Chuanyun Sect, Guanfeng Gate, and the Hengshan Sect—would send people up to wear down the defender’s internal power. Besides those three, there were likely many others aligned with Zhou Gui, but with so many people taking the stage, it was difficult to tell them apart.
As dawn approached, Feng Yun’ai felt a prickling sensation on her back, as if a sharp gaze were fixed upon her.
With Sang Chencao gone, she didn’t dare focus too intently on the stage for fear of a sudden change in the situation. Because of this vigilance, she was able to instantly sense that someone was secretly watching her.
Feng Yun’ai gripped her sword and remained still. She didn’t sense any killing intent; the gaze felt more like an open, undisguised scrutiny.
The gaze lingered for far too long. Feng Yun’ai’s hand on her sword grew stiff until she finally couldn’t help but turn her head to meet it.
However, the person was extremely fast. Just as she turned, she only caught a glimpse of a profile hidden in the crowd.
It was a face framed by shock-white hair. The unfastened silver hair had been tossed into a mess by the sword qi from the stage, obscuring the person’s features and making it impossible to tell their age.
Feng Yun’ai’s gaze faltered. When she snapped back to her senses, she was hit by a wave of osmanthus fragrance that made her head swim.
Sang Chencao had returned as silently as she had left. She was holding a piece of sweet osmanthus cake wrapped in oil paper, pressing it against the front of Feng Yun’ai’s veil.
Feng Yun’ai was stunned, but she had no time to worry about the cake. Thinking of the strange silver-haired person, she whispered, “Did you find any sign of Wen Lanxin?”
Sang Chencao took it upon herself to lift a corner of the veil, pressing the cake against Feng Yun’ai’s lips. “I did not,” she said slowly. “However, there are more insects and snakes in Cloud City now. Someone is definitely summoning them.”
“Someone was watching me just now. When I turned, I only saw their silver hair,” Feng Yun’ai said, tilting her head slightly as her eyes fell on the cake. She continued, “What color is Wen Lanxin’s hair?”
Sang Chencao raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “I expect only the Medicinal Humans she uses for her daily drug trials would have a head full of white hair,” she said indifferently.
She spoke the words “Medicinal Human” with such ease.
Feng Yun’ai bit her tongue reflexively before saying after a moment, “I see your hair is not white.”
“From the moment she began teaching me martial arts, I no longer had to test her medicines,” Sang Chencao said with a cold laugh. “However, with my constitution, it is something that can never be changed in this lifetime.”
