Impressing the Locals
Chen Wentian had taken over Qu Jing's soul a long time ago. It was during the finale of the Monster Fighting Competition that was hosted at the Eastern Sanmu Metropolis. Qu Jing played an important part in inciting the battle with Abbotess Liang but he had been largely ignored since then. Now, he could finally be of use again.
For Li Yuechan, once she found out that Qu Jing was her master in disguise, her mood improved drastically. A smile appeared on her lips and rarely left. She even moved to sit closer behind Qu Jing who was in the driver's seat, still inside the carriage but able to see his broad back, wild red hair, and the road ahead.
"Sir Qu, If I may ask, have you competed in the Fox Volant of Beast Mountain?"
Chen Wentian chuckled, "I have, many times. My first time was probably right after broke through to the Spirit Initiate Realm. Then, I would often compete against my rivals in the other two factions. After the snake lord fell, the event lost a bit of the charm of the past. But with Lord Chen and Ten Thousand Flower Valley here, perhaps we can see something exciting today."
"Mmm, I hope so." Li Yuechan said.
The purpose of them being here was to impress the locals so she naturally had to compete. But now, she looked forward to it.
Behind the two of them, Zhou Ziyun and Qu Rong were chatting. The topics were wide-ranging but they had somehow come around to talking about the pair of man and woman in front of the carriage.
"Miss Qu, look at your senior brother. Is he usually this shameless when courting beauties?" Zhou Ziyun asked playfully.
"Miss Zhou, please don't joke." Qu Rong's expression wasn't good as she started hotly at the two people, "Senior brother is usually a block of wood. I don't know what is wrong with him today. Did he eat something strange?"
Zhou Ziyun covered her mouth for a giggle, "I don't know what has gotten into my junior sister today. Perhaps it is true what they say that dragons and phoenixes will naturally be charmed by each other. Your senior brother is quite a talent and my junior sister is not bad either."
"Hmph! He is not really that good. He can often be stubborn like a pig. I don't think he is a good match for Miss Li, it would be such a waste!"
Zhou Ziyun nodded along, holding back more laughter. This Qu Rong obviously held some not-so-simple feelings for her senior brother. One could only blame the heavens for being unfair. Qu Rong had the talent and the pedigree but was lacking in looks. Her personality was also prickly which naturally repelled men.
"Oh, Miss Zhou, why do you call her junior sister?"
"Ah, that… I'm sure you are wondering because she is older than me and also has a higher cultivation. It is rather simple. I am the senior sister because I joined the sect before her. In fact, my master has strictly kept this rule of seniority from the beginning."
"Really? What about Paragon Wu Qianyu or Snow Fairy Long Yifei? They are so amazing but you are saying that you are their senior?"
"That's right. In fact, Sister Long joined pretty late so she is even more junior than Sister Li."
"Aiya! I could have never imagined. I didn't think Lord Chen would be like that. You are really lucky."
Zhou Ziyun smiled and this time it was sincere, "My master is a straightforward person. He values fate and sentiment over beauty or strength. This is also why we have proposed this alliance. He feels that Ten Thousand Flower Valley and Beast God Sanctum have a shared fate."
"Mmm." Qu Rong gave her assent.
Although it meant little because of her status, it was still a good sign that there were reasonable people in this city.
After a tour through the city, they arrived at the festival grounds. It was located around a half-moon arena where the competition would be held. Due to the steep elevation, the seats had been directly carved into the mountain and overlooked the vast plains below in addition to the stage.
It was already mid-morning and the crowds were already out. Their large carriage had to be escorted through throngs of people and went directly to the area. Once there, the group of four got off and were directed to their seats in the front rows.
The arena used to be separated into three sections but now there were only two. The lion faction sat to one side while the eagle faction sat opposite them. Between them was a wide stage with a white stone pillar in the center. It was intricately carved with fox motifs and scenes of the full moon. At the top of the pillar was a narrow platform where the prized fox would be placed to be fought over.
"Brother Qu!"
"Brother Qu!"
Many people on the eagle faction's side greeted Qu Jing's group. Among them were a few familiar faces such as Nan Yukai and Nan Yuolang. There were other disciples of Immortal Wolf Hunter Nan Lang and also disciples of Immortal Sky Monkey Gu Lan. They numbered around thirty in total and were far outnumbered by the descendants of branch families and other ordinary disciples.
On the other side, the lion faction had brought a similar number of competitors. They were disciples of Immortal Lion of Fortune He Xinghan and Immortal Tempest Badger Qiu Chuyi. The most notable among them was Yang Cang who had placed fifth place in the Monster Fighting Competition, one spot below Qu Jing.
Many eyes were on the two men, the two brightest stars of the younger generation. The city had lost an agonizing number of talents during the insect siege so both Qu Jing and Yang Cang carried the hopes of the people. Therefore, they all held their breaths when the two approached each other.
"Brother Qu."
"Brother Yang."
The two men were equally tall. Qu Jing had a larger build and with his wild hair, looked more like a ferocious warrior. Yang Cang's appearance was more refined. He would not be out of place among the rich young masters of the Eastern Sanmu Subcontinent. But even so, he still carried an intensity and unruly demeanor befitting of a beast art cultivator.
They shook hands, creating a sharp gust of wind as spiritual energy clashed between them. Even as they were performing a formality, they each were trying to push the other back in order to get the upper hand. The two sides of the arena became rowdy as they watched. The temporary truce between the two factions was merely a formality and conflict was bound to arise.
Amidst the noise of the crowd, Qu Jing and Yang Cang finally let go of each other's hands. And unbeknownst to all except the two of them, they shared a look of understanding, a connection of souls.
"Best of luck to you."
"Likewise, let's put on a good show!"
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