Chapter 26: Sparring Part 1

Lin Xiao was surrounded by his disciples and grand-disciples, who tried to console him with gentle words, but nothing could douse the fury surging in his chest. In the end, his blood boiled over, and right in front of everyone, he spat out another large mouthful of bright red blood.

No one understood better than he did just how profound Shang Si’s cultivation had become after their clash inside the barrier.

He had always assumed that after living for so long, even if he couldn’t quite match this little girl, he wouldn’t be far behind. But after exchanging blows, Lin Xiao realized he was dead wrong—gravely wrong.

The Shang Family truly deserved their reputation as the heaven-favored imperial clan of Yedu. That divine favoritism alone was enough for them to look down on every race in the Three Realms.

They enjoyed lifespans stretching millions of years, along with cultivation talents far beyond the ordinary.

Passed down from fathers to daughters, mothers to sons, generation after generation, until their power had reached unfathomable depths. And yet Shang Si had lied straight to his face without so much as blushing.

Was that even an injury? Was it?!

A mere scrape on the skin, one that would have healed on its own if she’d waited any longer—and she had the nerve to flaunt it in front of everyone for attention!

“I’m so mad! So mad! Shang Si, you’re even worse than your sister!” Lin Xiao wailed from his spot, but Shang Si, standing on the outer fringe of the crowd, paid him no mind.

Her beautiful eyes were glued only to the woman approaching her, while the blood on the back of her hand trickled slowly down her pale arm.

In this vast sea of people, Shang Si saw only Lu Shiyuan.

Her plan was simple: she was hurt, she was bleeding, so she had to say it aloud. Only then would Lu Shiyuan feel sorry for her—and only Lu Shiyuan’s pity could bring them a step closer.

It was just over the past couple of days that Shang Si had realized how greedy she’d become when it came to Lu Shiyuan.

She had done a lot of thinking lately, especially replaying Lin Xiao’s teasing words from that day over and over in her mind. She had confirmed it to herself time and again: the place Lu Shiyuan held in her heart.

For thousands of years, she had never fallen for anyone—not even during the grand wedding three years ago, which had been nothing more than an elaborate deception to fool the world.

Shang Si had convinced herself that her exceptional kindness toward Lu Shiyuan, a mere mortal, stemmed solely from the woman’s public role as the Consort of Yedu.

She had only been acting the part, staging it all for those watching in the shadows, in hopes of drawing out the mastermind behind the attempt on Shang Luo’s life three years prior.

Lin Xiao’s words had jolted her awake. Yes, Lu Shiyuan was indeed a singular presence in her life.

Shang Si knew that if she replaced Lu Shiyuan with anyone else—even kin as close as Hua Qiu or Nan Jin—she never would have agreed so readily, never paid such a steep price to trade for a single stalk of spiritual medicine.

The comparison made the truth glaringly obvious.

In a matter of breaths, Lu Shiyuan had woven through the dense crowd and reached Shang Si’s side. Shang Si watched as those slender hands gently grasped her raised arm, droplets of blood falling onto the other’s cyan dress. Lu Shiyuan’s eyes brimmed with heartache and concern.

Shang Si curved her lips downward and spoke in a soft, fragile voice: “It’s not serious, but it hurts so much, Shiyuan…” She pressed her lips together after that.

Anyone seeing her like this would feel compelled to take pity.

Lu Shiyuan reacted at once, fishing a premium golden wound salve from her Spirit Ring and applying it tenderly to the injury. As she worked, she furrowed her brow and muttered under her breath: “So much blood—the wound’s completely split open. Senior Lin went way too hard.”

“I said it was just for fun. How did you two turn it into such a spectacle that the barrier even shattered?”

Shang Si responded with a few sharp intakes of breath, playing up the pain.

It sounded utterly convincing, like she was in real agony. At least, Shang Si thought her performance was spot-on. Meanwhile, Lin Xiao watched from nearby, cheeks puffed out in indignation.

The two women were murmuring to each other like lovers, but Lin Xiao’s rapt attention made it impossible to miss. When he saw the girl shamelessly badmouthing him again, he couldn’t take it anymore. “Shang Si, how can you, the Ye Lord, twist the facts like this!”

Shang Si finally lifted her eyes to shoot him a glance.

“If you hadn’t spoken up, I’d have forgotten you were even here.” The scrape on her hand had already stopped bleeding after the premium spiritual medicine. Shang Si nestled it comfortably in Lu Shiyuan’s palm and called out from afar: “Lin Xiao, a bet’s a bet. You said that if I won, the item is mine.”

With that, she leaned in close to Lu Shiyuan’s ear: “Shiyuan, go fetch it for me.”

Her warm breath ghosted over the shell of her ear, like the lightest tickle of a feather.

“Mm.” Lu Shiyuan gave an obedient hum, then released Shang Si’s hand and did as she was told.

The pair’s vague and secretive exchange drew the attention of the crowd. Lu Shiyuan had no clue what “thing” Shang Si was talking about.

She figured it was probably the item the other woman had mentioned a couple of days ago—the one she planned to claim from Senior Lin.

If Shang Si wanted her to fetch it, then fetch it she would.

Still, the proper courtesies had to be observed on the surface.

After all, this was asking someone outright for their possession. Judging by Lin Xiao’s reluctant expression, Lu Shiyuan guessed their wager must have been something substantial. She approached him, first offering a respectful junior’s salute, then speaking with a light smile. “Senior Lin, on behalf of A Si, let me apologize to you. She went too hard without holding back. I hope you won’t hold it against her.”

Her tone was neither servile nor overbearing, her etiquette impeccable. In this way, she helped Lin Xiao salvage a bit of the face he’d lost to Shang Si.

“Hey, you little girl…” In that short time, Lin Xiao had caught his breath. He brushed off Yun Qing, who was supporting him, stepped forward, and launched into a tirade. “You say one thing to Shang Si’s face and another to me. One of you beats me black and blue playing the villain, the other acts all sweet and gentle as the hero. You’re both sly as foxes—no wonder you’re such a perfect pair!”

Even called out directly to her face, Lu Shiyuan showed no embarrassment. She kept her smiling expression, her lovely almond eyes curving even deeper. “You’re joking, Senior. A Si really did go overboard this time. I’ll have a good talk with her later…”

“Enough with the act. Here’s your thing.” Halfway through her words, Lin Xiao cut her off irritably. At the same time, he casually pulled a small porcelain vial from his Spirit Ring and tossed it into Lu Shiyuan’s arms.

Lu Shiyuan reacted a beat late. “This is…?”

If she wasn’t mistaken, this must be the wager between them.

“I won’t tell you what it is, but you’d better keep it safe. The stuff inside is rare as hen’s teeth—otherwise, that girl Shang Si wouldn’t have set her sights on it.” Lin Xiao grimaced, his face full of heartache. In the end, he simply looked away from Lu Shiyuan and waved her off.

Lu Shiyuan tucked the vial away, offered a polite farewell, and returned to Shang Si’s side. Together, they departed.

That world-shaking duel had drawn nearly everyone on the mountain to the Rear Mountain Training Plaza. In contrast, the path back to their courtyard was utterly deserted. They walked for quite some time without spotting a single Kunlun disciple.

Only now did Lu Shiyuan have a chance to ask, “A Si, why didn’t you mention beforehand that you were going to spar with Senior Lin?”

“If I’d told you, would Shiyuan have worried about me?” Shang Si shot back so swiftly that Lu Shiyuan barely had time to process it.

She looked up, meeting Shang Si’s flower-like smile, the subtle upturn at the corners of her eyes.

“It wouldn’t take long to trade blows with that old man, so I didn’t bother saying anything.” Seeing her daze, Shang Si lowered her gaze and answered offhandedly.

As always, she never consulted anyone on such decisions. It was a habit ingrained over millennia at the top.

Lu Shiyuan nodded slightly at her words, as if long accustomed to it.

She was still lost in thought over Shang Si’s earlier smile—bold yet seductive.

But then, unexpectedly, the other woman hesitated. A moment later, she turned the question back on her.

“Shiyuan, since I didn’t tell you about this ahead of time, are you mad at me?”

“Or maybe you’re feeling upset?” She seemed to be pondering it deeply. Before Lu Shiyuan could respond, Shang Si finished her thought. “If you are, then next time I’ll definitely let you know first.”

Over the past couple of days, she’d come to recognize her own feelings. Only now did Shang Si realize her earlier curt reply had been a mistake, so she corrected herself.

But to Lu Shiyuan, this uncharacteristic behavior seemed…

Lu Shiyuan suddenly pressed her hand to Shang Si’s forehead. Her bright almond eyes brimmed with confusion and concern. “What’s gotten into you today? Why say things like that all of a sudden? It’s so strange. You didn’t pick up some hidden injury from that fight just now, did you?”

With that, she withdrew her hand from Shang Si’s forehead and seized her wrist instead, ready to check for injuries.

The motions flowed seamlessly, leaving Shang Si standing there like a wooden puppet, letting Lu Shiyuan fuss over her.