Chapter 147 : A Somewhat Strange Saintess

Chapter 147: A Somewhat Strange Saintess

Looking at Ye Jingchen’s spring-breeze-proud figure not far away, Long Tao actually still had a question of moderate concern—that was… how exactly was he supposed to steal Destiny Luck?

Judging from the fact that he had gone to such lengths to enter the sect, and had even needed to find a way to enter Moon-Washing Peak and maintain long-term contact with Nan Yuchen, it definitely was not something like the Star-Sucking Technique from wuxia novels, where mere physical contact would suffice.

However, he still remembered what True Lord Luohong had said. Matters concerning this Ye Jingchen would be handled by the upper echelon; at his level, he should not meddle in such affairs.

It was just like a famous saying from a certain sage in his previous life: “Time passed like this, never ceasing day or night.” One only needed to sit by the river and wait for the enemy’s corpse to drift over on its own.

He then glanced around and could not help but feel slightly surprised. There were even more spectators today than yesterday.

Clearly, Nan Yuchen—the most eye-catching rising star—had already finished his first round. Why were there still so many people watching? Were they all that idle?

But soon, snippets of gossip from passersby revealed the reason.

“Hey! You even came specially to watch today? Didn’t you only watch the finals before?”

“I heard Senior Brother Fang and that Junior Brother named Long Tao give quite interesting commentary, so I came to join the fun,” a cultivator in green robes said with a smile.

“Haha, indeed! You have no idea—yesterday’s Mechanism Puppet Battle was truly exhilarating. Quite a few people are even suggesting that the sect should simply hold a dedicated Mechanism Arts competition. It might be even livelier.”

A lean man at the side chimed in, “I heard several gambling houses have already set their sights on Long Tao.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

“You weren’t here yesterday, so you don’t know,” the man lowered his voice. “Out of thirty-two matches, he predicted twenty-six incorrectly! With such precise crow’s-mouth accuracy, if a gambling house could hire him, wouldn’t they make a fortune?”

Laughter immediately erupted around them. A young female cultivator covered her mouth as she laughed. “Even if you guessed blindly with your eyes closed, it shouldn’t be that outrageous, right?”

“Be that as it may,” another young cultivator said, “some of the matches really were bizarre. Situations that clearly seemed like certain victories were forcefully overturned. But with the two of them providing commentary on stage, it truly is far more interesting than simply watching the matches dryly. To be honest, if Senior Brother Fang hadn’t pointed out the key circulation nodes, I wouldn’t have understood many of the exquisite details at all.”

“Exactly.” Another disciple carrying a longsword on his back took up the conversation. “Yesterday, when Nan Yuchen broke the Seven-Colored Flowing Light Art, if Senior Brother Fang hadn’t explained it, I’m afraid eight or nine out of ten people present would have thought Senior Brother Lu was all reputation and no substance.”

“By the way, speaking of yesterday’s match, who do you think is prettier—True Person Mingzhu or True Person Liuxia?” someone suddenly steered the topic off course.

“True Person Liuxia, of course. I prefer the more flamboyant type. True Person Mingzhu is also a stunning beauty, but she’s usually too reserved.”

“Actually, I prefer the Vice Sect Master’s type. Short hair suits my taste better.”

“Oh? Your tastes are quite unique.” Someone nearby teased, “The Vice Sect Master is indeed striking in appearance, but her temperament is too cold. I’ve heard from disciples of the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion that she spends all day urging disciples to handle administrative affairs.”

“That might not be so,” an apparently clever young disciple interjected. “Isn’t Long Tao from the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion? He’s even the Vice Sect Master’s Registered Disciple. Yet she allowed him to set up this commentary platform. Perhaps in private, the Vice Sect Master dotes on her disciples quite a bit.”

“You really dare to say such things.”

After this group left in laughter, Long Tao stood there foolishly, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

On the positive side, his commentary seemed to have been accepted by everyone. The System Task had gotten off to a good start.

As long as nothing went wrong afterward, there should not be much issue on his end. It all depended on whether Nan Yuchen himself could make it into the top four.

On the negative side, his image seemed to have become somewhat strange. Crow’s mouth? There were quite a few matches that truly were not his fault, alright? Sigh… forget it.

This commentary work was only for the duration of this Grand Competition. Afterward, people would gradually forget about it.

After parting from his family, Long Tao came to a room. It was a temporary lounge he and Fang Wuqi had found.

Fang Wuqi was already waiting inside—but there was another unexpected person present as well: Nan Yuchen.

“Senior Brother Long! You’re here?” Nan Yuchen immediately stood up to greet him when he entered.

“Junior Brother Nan? You still have to compete tomorrow, don’t you? Shouldn’t you be resting properly? You were injured quite badly yesterday.”

Long Tao remembered that Nan Yuchen’s right arm had been injured so severely that bone had been visible.

“It’s alright. The important meridians weren’t seriously damaged. Although the injury to my right arm looked frightening, to Master’s medicinal pills it was merely a flesh wound. It’s almost completely healed.”

As he spoke, Nan Yuchen moved his right arm.

“I see. So you came today to scout your future opponents?”

“That’s part of it. And also to listen to your and Senior Brother Fang’s commentary. It’s far more interesting than simply watching the matches. Senior Brother Fang’s insight far surpasses mine—I can learn a great deal.”

“Oh? Then why did you come here? Shouldn’t you hurry to find a seat?”

“This… I don’t quite dare go out. After returning yesterday, quite a few—well… not too many—but some factions went to Moon-Washing Peak to discuss with Master about letting me… well… form a marriage alliance or something.”

Hearing this, Long Tao’s interest was immediately piqued.

“Oh! That was to be expected. After yesterday’s battle, you’ve proven your value. Naturally, various factions will set their sights on you. But with your temperament, you definitely don’t want to marry so early.”

“Of course not. Before forming my Golden Core, how could I spare the mind for anything else? Let alone having a strange woman by my side. I heard Senior Brother Fang encountered a similar situation back then, so I came to ask him about it. And to temporarily avoid the limelight here.”

At this moment, Fang Wuqi was wearing a look of schadenfreude. Seeing the topic shift to himself, he quickly suppressed his smile and said solemnly,

“Junior Brother Nan, there’s no need to care too much. How could True Person Mingzhu allow you to form a marriage alliance at this time? Even if you personally wanted to find a wife, the sect would stop you—unless the other party’s faction is truly powerful, and the woman’s status is high enough to count as marrying beneath her status.”

“For example, someone at the level of the Imperial Clan of the Suhuang Heavenly Dynasty?”

Recalling last night’s events, Long Tao asked casually.

“Exactly! It would have to be that level. With the talent and potential you displayed yesterday, the sect is already in a position to raise the price. Ordinary female cultivators won’t do—they won’t even negotiate. At the very least, it would have to be someone at the level of a prodigy, or a key figure nurtured by a great clan.” As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something and asked with a mischievous smile,

“By the way! The Saintess Yaxi should have gone to see you as well, right?”

At the mention of the pink-haired Saintess of the Hehuan Sect, even someone as blockheaded as Nan Yuchen immediately blushed and said somewhat embarrassedly,

“She did come. And because of her identity as Saintess, Master even had me go out to meet her.”

“Oh… then did she give you a piece of paper?”

“Yes! Yes, she did.” Nan Yuchen looked surprised. “Senior Brother Fang, how did you know? She had me take the paper and look at it once, but there wasn’t a single word on it. Then she stood up and took her leave.”

“That Saintess has always been like that.” Fang Wuqi chuckled softly. “Whenever she encounters a man she fancies, she gives him a blank sheet of paper to examine. But I’ve heard that no one has ever seen anything written on it. Nor does she pester the men who have looked at the paper. Back then, she gave me one as well. It was equally blank.”

“She truly is a strange woman,” Nan Yuchen murmured.

“Everyone who knows her says the same.”

By this time, the clamor from the Martial Arena had grown quite loud.

The three exchanged smiles and, in tacit understanding, ended the conversation before leaving the small room one after another.