The tranquil atmosphere of the valley was suddenly punctured as the space near the hot springs began to ripple. Two figures appeared, their presence immediately saturating the air with a heavy, competitive pressure.
Upon seeing the two men, Xu Qing's face, which had already been strained by her interactions with Mu Chen, instantly turned several degrees colder.
These two uninvited guests were none other than Sun Hai and Ye Ge. They had already offended her once today, and now they dared to track her to her own territory.
She wondered if they truly believed her position as a Holy Daughter was merely a result of political connections rather than her own lethal capability.
"Xu Qing, since you have managed to secure a Dragon Origin Marrow Crystal, why don't you give me the other one?" Sun Hai asked, his voice carrying the smooth, practiced cadence of someone used to getting his way. "I am more than willing to offer you satisfactory terms in exchange. There is no need for us to grow hostile over a single resource."
Beside her, Mu Chen and Shen Xi watched the exchange with mild, detached interest. It was clear Sun Hai had miscalculated the situation. Because Shen Xi had suppressed two of the beasts with her formations in total silence, the only commotion had come from the beast Xu Qing had personally slain and the fourth one that had foolishly attempted to swallow Mu Chen.
Sun Hai had arrived under the assumption that only two beasts had been hunted, and he believed Xu Qing was currently hoarding a spare core.
Ye Ge, standing slightly behind Sun Hai, remained silent. He owed Sun Hai a significant favor, and when the latter had requested help, he had found it impossible to refuse.
Upon hearing Sun Hai's request, Xu Qing let out a short, sharp sneer. "Heh, Sun Hai, do you actually still have any shame left in that body of yours?"
If they had stayed out of her way earlier, perhaps she would have considered a trade. But Sun Hai had already offended her before. And expecting her to hand over something so precious? That is nothing more than a pure, delusional illusion.
Mu Chen, who had just closed his eyes in an attempt to return to his nap, let out a long, weary sigh, shifting his position in his chair.
"Can you guys go somewhere else and discuss this?" Mu Chen asked, his voice flat and laced with a visible annoyance.
The question was so unexpected and so blunt that Xu Qing nearly choked on her own retort. She felt a sudden, burning desire to curse this fellow.
This was her territory, her designated spring, and yet here he was, lounging as a guest and asking the owner and her visitors to move their conversation elsewhere so he could sleep.
Sun Hai and Ye Ge, however, were struck by something entirely different. This was the first time they had truly turned their full attention toward Mu Chen and Shen Xi.
"Who are you?" Sun Hai asked, his chiselled features tightening. If these two were staying here with Xu Qing, they had to be someone special, yet he didn't recognize their faces.
Mu Chen was tired of repeating himself, so with a single thought, he directly imprinted his identity—Mu Chen of Holy Origin Peak—into the minds of every person in the Sky Sect. The information flowed into their minds as if it had always been there, a fundamental fact of the world.
Mu Chen didn't answer the question, but he didn't have to. It was Ye Ge who spoke next, his voice sounding dazed, as if he were reciting a history book, he had just finished reading.
"You are Brother Mu Chen... the one who came first in the outer sect ceremony," Ye Ge murmured, his eyes wide. "And she... she must be Sister Shen Xi. The one to whom the Spirit Rune Peak Master wished to pass the position of Peak Master in the future."
Mu Chen leaned back, a small, satisfied smirk appearing on his lips. Perfect.
Ye Ge's expression underwent a rapid transformation. As a disciple of the Spirit Rune Peak, he knew exactly how much importance his Summit Master placed on Shen Xi.
Sun Hai, hailing from the Sword Peak, felt a similar shift. His senses as a swordsman were remarkably sharp, and though Shen Xi's pressure was now completely restrained, his gut was screaming that she was the most dangerous entity in the valley.
"Sun Hai, don't even think about the core crystal," Xu Qing said, her voice firm and uncompromising. "This is mine. Leave."
Sun Hai took a deep, steadying breath, his fingers twitching near the hilt of his blade. If Xu Qing had been alone, he and Ye Ge might have considered a forceful acquisition.
But with Shen Xi present—a woman whose formation and rune talent were legendary enough to earn her a Peak Master's seat—the variables had changed. Even if she wasn't as strong as his instincts suggested, he couldn't ignore her.
If she held Ye Ge in check with formations, a duel between him and Xu Qing would result in a stalemate at best.
"Good. I'll remember this" Sun Hai said, his voice cold. Before turning to leave, he cast one final, lingering glare at Mu Chen.
Mu Chen, however, paid him no heed, his eyes already closed as he drifted back toward the shores of sleep.
...
Over a small stone pavilion at the mountain's summit. Xu Qing and Shen Xi sat opposite each other on woven futons, having achieved their goals with the opening of the Fountain Pool, the pressure to hunt had vanished. Now, all they had to do was wait for the ten-day period to expire.
Neither woman was in a hurry to absorb the Marrow Crystals. They sat in the cool evening air, the mist of the spring rising to meet them.
"The hot springs here are truly wonderful," Shen Xi said, her voice filled with a genuine satisfaction. "I think I'll come here often in the future."
Xu Qing's face immediately filled with dark, agitated wrinkles. She let out an exasperated huff, her porcelain mask of a face cracking. "It's enough that you were able to enjoy the experience once! You aren't a permanent resident here. After you officially become a Holy Child yourself, you can choose your own territory."
She was speechless. Did these two truly intend to treat her personal forbidden zone as if it were their own private vacation home?
She looked over at Mu Chen, who was currently snoring softly in his chair nearby, and wondered how it was possible for a human being to sleep as much as he did.
"That sounds like a lot of trouble," Shen Xi replied with a playful wink. She was joking, of course; she knew that if she wanted a spring of her own, Mu Chen would have provided one within seconds. But she found it infinitely more entertaining to tease the high-strung Holy Daughter.
"If you change your mind about the effort, you could always challenge Ye Ge," Xu Qing suggested, her eyes glinting with a vengeful light. "He ranks ninth on the Holy Son list. It should be an easy enough seat for you to take."
Xu Qing was a woman who clearly held grudges. Simply because Ye Ge had offended her earlier by siding with Sun Hai, she was now attempting to direct a monster like Shen Xi toward him instead of the tenth-ranked Zhao Zhu.
"Since we're idle and the night is young, why don't we have a drinking contest?" Shen Xi suggested, her voice turning mischievous. She reached into her sleeves and produced two large, clay jugs of wine, placing one firmly in front of Xu Qing. "But there's a rule: no using spiritual energy to dissipate the alcohol. We drink like mortals."
Xu Qing stared at the head-sized wine jug, her expression wary. She almost never drank; her cultivation required a clear mind, and her natural alcohol tolerance was notoriously low. But as she looked at Shen Xi's challenging smile, her pride flared. She could not bow her head and admit defeat.
Gritting her teeth, Xu Qing broke the clay seal of the jug and leaned back, taking a deep, long draught. The wine was potent, and within seconds, her pretty face began to flush a deep, vibrant red. The alcohol was already taking hold of her senses.
Shen Xi's lips curved into a slight, victorious upward arc. She lifted her own jug and began to drink with an effortless grace.
Nibi, who had been watching the scene from the sidelines, felt a sudden, deep pity for Xu Qing. Drinking with Shen Xi was quite possibly the dumbest decision the Holy Daughter had ever made.
Nibi let out a small, tired meow, curled into a ball on Mu Chen's chest, and went to sleep. She decided that whoever won the contest had nothing to do with her.
The two women continued their silent war throughout the night, pitcher after pitcher of high-grade wine being provided by Shen Xi. Finally, Xu Qing was the first to collapse. She slumped forward onto the stone table in complete, drunken silence.
Shen Xi finished the last sip of her jug, rested her cheek on her hand, and drifted into a peaceful sleep right where she sat.
...
The next morning, Xu Qing slowly raised her head. Her eyes were clouded with a thick, heavy confusion, her mind reeling from the sheer volume of alcohol she had consumed the night before.
She blinked, trying to clear her vision, and saw Mu Chen sitting a few feet away. He was holding a shimmering image-engraving crystal, watching a projection of the previous night's contest with a look of immense amusement.
Buzz.
Upon seeing the crystal and the footage of her drunken behaviour, Xu Qing's mind went blank.
"Erase it for me right now!" Xu Qing shrieked, her pretty face flickering between a sickly green and a pale white. She clenched her silver teeth so tightly they threatened to crack, and the murderous intent in her beautiful eyes was already overflowing.
If that image were ever made public, her reputation as the "Ice Goddess" of Snow Peak would be completely and irrevocably destroyed.
"It's Nibi's doing," Mu Chen said, his voice full of feigned helplessness. "I can't do anything about it. She's the one who recorded it."
In truth, after Mu Chen slept, Nibi had been bored. She had found the sight of the two getting drunk so hilarious that she had recorded the entire thing to show Mu Chen in the morning as a form of entertainment.
Xu Qing looked at Nibi, who was currently preening herself. The cat let out a sharp meow, her gaze flicking toward the Holy Daughter with a look of pure disdain. I don't talk to losers.
Mu Chen teased from the side, "Well, don't worry too much. I'm sure no one will ever know... provided Nibi doesn't lose the crystal, or someone doesn't offer her enough high-grade snacks to buy it off her."
Xu Qing, who had felt a momentary relief at the first half of his sentence, felt her heart sink the moment he finished it. She let out a frustrated cry and lunged. Nibi was already elsewhere.
The valley was soon filled with the sight of a Holy Daughter and a small golden cat running in circles around the pavilion. Xu Qing eventually found that she couldn't keep up with the cat's agility, and she eventually returned to the pavilion, slumping down in exhaustion.
Shen Xi watched her, resting her chin on her hand as she enjoyed the morning air. "Mighty Holy Daughter, you are welcome to come back for a rematch next time," she said with a bright, satisfied smile.
Xu Qing's face paled at the thought, but her competitive spirit wouldn't allow her to admit defeat, even if she had lost the drinking contest. She stood up, her jaw set.
"Just wait," Xu Qing muttered. "Next time, I will definitely get my revenge."
Xu Qing didn't stay to say much else, she teleported away, intending to find a few water beasts to slaughter as a way to vent her lingering frustration.