Ye Qingchen knew how much Xiao Xiao valued this competition and how much she hoped he could personally witness her match. He could only imagine how disappointed she would be if he didnât attend. Ye Qingchen didnât want to be a promise-breaker, so his only option was to try his luck and find Zi Xing.
Ye Qingchen didnât know where Zi Xing lived. In a city as vast as Eternal City, trying to find her was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Fortunately, it was still early. Ye Qingchen knew that Zi Xing was also participating in the Sectâs newcomer competition. He just had to wait at the venue entrance, and he would eventually see her.
With this in mind, Ye Qingchen headed toward the venue, praying all the while that Zi Xing wouldnât enter too quickly.
As a nine-star Sect, the Wuji Immortal Palace naturally had its own exclusive passage. Xiao Xiao, the Saint Heir, and their group had used it to arrive at the venue early.
This caused Xiao Xiao to miss her chance to meet Ye Qingchen.
Xiao Xiao sat in the Wuji Immortal Palaceâs rest area. People were already filing into the venue, but she still hadnât seen Ye Qingchen.
This puzzled her. Given her Young Masterâs personality, he would have definitely arrived early since he came all the way to Eternal City to watch her competition. Why hadnât he shown up yet?
Xiao Xiaoâs gaze remained fixed on the venue entrance, eagerly anticipating Ye Qingchenâs appearance.
Her anxious movements naturally didnât escape the Saint Heirâs eyes. Seeing her demeanor, he felt a mix of jealousy and satisfaction.
The Saint Heir did this precisely to paint Ye Qingchen as a promise-breaker in Xiao Xiaoâs eyes. He would then secretly maneuver to eliminate him, which would also allow him to better supplant Ye Qingchen in her heart.
Another hour passed. The seats in the venue were now mostly full, but Ye Qingchen still hadnât appeared.
Xiao Xiao kept her gaze locked on the entrance, a growing worry for Ye Qingchen dawning in her heart.
Something must have happened to Young Master for him to not be here yet,
she thought, growing more and more anxious.
The Saint Heir, feeling enough time had passed, snorted coldly. "Junior Sister Xiao Xiao, are you waiting for that so-called âYoung Masterâ of yours? I told you long ago that heâs just trying to latch onto your high status. Perhaps he has finally come to his senses, realized he isnât worthy of you, and now doesnât dare to show up. You should recognize him for who he truly is before you waste your affection on him."
Xiao Xiao shook her head and said firmly, "Impossible. My Young Master is definitely not that kind of person. No, something must have happened to him. I have to go find him."
With that, Xiao Xiao stood up, ready to walk out of the venue.
She would rather forfeit the competition than let anything happen to Ye Qingchen.
The Saint Heir hastily blocked her path. "What are you doing, Junior Sister Xiao Xiao? Youâve already verified your identity. If you leave now, youâll be disqualified immediately. Donât be so foolish!"
But Xiao Xiao was resolute. She didnât care about winning or losing; she only wanted to perform well for her Young Master. Now that he might be in danger, how could she possibly sit idly by?
Seeing her determination, the Saint Heir feared she might actually leave in a fit of anger. He would have no way to explain that to the Sect, so he quickly tried to console her. "Fighting is forbidden in Eternal City, and even I must abide by that rule. What danger could your Young Master possibly be in? He was probably just delayed by something. If you leave now and he shows up right after, wouldnât your actions just backfire?"
The Saint Heirâs words left Xiao Xiao momentarily speechless. She couldnât refute them.
It was true. Her Young Master wouldnât be in any real danger within Eternal City. He must have just been delayed. If she lost her spot in the competition now, wouldnât he be terribly disappointed when he finally arrived?
At this thought, Xiao Xiao finally calmed down. She sat back in her seat and continued to wait anxiously for Ye Qingchenâs appearance.
To reassure her further, the Saint Heir called over a Wuji Immortal Palace disciple and instructed, "Go out and find out where Ye Qingchen is. We canât have Junior Sister Xiao Xiao worrying."
The disciple acknowledged the order and left. Xiao Xiao breathed a sigh of relief.
What Xiao Xiao didnât know, however, was that the Saint Heir had already instructed this disciple to merely put on a show of searching for Ye Qingchen.
In reality, after leaving the venue, the disciple didnât search for Ye Qingchen at all. He simply loitered nearby.
Meanwhile, Ye Qingchen stood at the venue entrance, waiting anxiously.
More and more people were entering, but Zi Xing had yet to appear. Ye Qingchen began to suspect that she and her group might have already gone inside ahead of him.
"Junior Brother Ye, why havenât you gone in yet?"
Just as Ye Qingchen was at a loss, Zi Xingâs voice suddenly rang out, filling his heart with joy.
Liu Feng and several others still followed behind Zi Xing. Although they were still displeased to see Ye Qingchen, they didnât dare scoff openly, not since they had witnessed the intimate moment between Xiao Xiao and him that day.
In his joy at seeing Zi Xing approach, Ye Qingchen forgot his station for a moment. He grabbed her hand and said, "Senior Sister Zi Xing, Iâm begging you, please help me."
Zi Xing blushed. Her hand had been suddenly grabbed by Ye Qingchen, and she had never had physical contact with a man before.
But hearing him ask for her help piqued her curiosity. After all, he had always refused her gestures of goodwill, so for him to take the initiative now was truly rare.
The sight of Ye Qingchen holding Zi Xingâs hand made Liu Feng and his companions feel as if they had swallowed a fly. It was something they had only dreamed of, and now Ye Qingchen was doing it.
However, since Zi Xing didnât object, Liu Feng and the others couldnât say anything.
Ye Qingchen paid them no mind and continued, "Senior Sister Zi Xing, Iâve lost my qualification to watch the competition. I donât want to break a promise to a friend. This promise is extremely important to both of us. I hope you can give me a spot. Thank you!"
Ye Qingchen gazed at Zi Xing with desperate eyes, as he truly had no other options.
Zi Xing was surprised. She never expected that this was what he would ask of her.
Liu Feng and his companions, who had been bottling up their resentment, finally found their opportunity to jeer.
"Ye Qingchen, so you were spouting nonsense all along. If you really knew Little Girl Xiaoxiao, how could you not have a spot to watch?"
"No matter how much you try to hide it, youâve finally shown your true colors, havenât you?"