Not Worrying

"Sister Bei, you were amazing!" Xu Lanyi was the first to shout out when Bei Yingluo returned to the stands.

Bei Yingluo's lips split into a wide smile as the others crowded around her, offering congratulations. They were all greatly impressed by what had happened and the way she had achieved it. What she had done was not only get top three in the battle tournament but also win the hearts of the audience.

She had turned the messy free-for-all into a battle between two different factions. On one side was the Tower of Swords and the Four Great Sects. They were the best sword sects and the expected winners of the convocation. On the other were Ten Thousand Flower Valley and the lesser sects. They weren't expected to do well but managed to do so anyway.

Bei Yingluo was equally excited and laughed joyfully amidst it all. She was the lowest ranked disciple but she was finally the center of attention. This was finally her time to shine.

She had given it all and she had taken many risks. There were many times she could have been kicked out of the battlefield before it had reached the final phase. There was no guarantee that others would listen to her words or agree with her idea. Also, if the Tower of Swords and the Four Greats were a little more intelligent and actually team up together, her alliance would not have stood a chance.

"Yingluo."

She turned to see the person she wanted to see the most. Chen Wentian had gotten up from his seat to join the huddle.

Everyone became silent as Bei Yingluo stared at her master with trepidation. Everything she had just done, she had done so that he would notice her, so that he would notice her strength. She didn't know how he would react but she hoped that she had done enough.

Chen Wentian smiled and nodded toward her. If they were in private, he would have embraced her lovingly. But they were in public so he rubbed her shoulder.

He was once again astounded by his luck. Every one of his disciples was special in their own way and Bei Yingluo was no different. In addition to her mysterious power, she was clever and resourceful. She rarely showed this side of her since she usually remained lowkey, not trying to outshine her senior sisters.

He really liked this side of her. She was carefree like Lin Qingcheng but could be cunning like Zhou Ziyun or decisive like Wu Qianyu when the situation called for it. Bei Yingluo was a flexible person. She was a survivor. She was someone that got along with everyone.

She was a good person to have in his sect.

"Are you alright, are you hurt anywhere?" He asked softly.

As the others held their breath, she shook her head, "No, master."

He smiled again and leaned into her, whispering in her ear, "You did great, beyond my expectations. I'll give you a special reward tonight."

His voice was quiet but purposefully not quiet enough so that some of the others heard it as well. As he leaned back, several of them had their mouths agape as they stared at him with scandalized expressions. The object of his teasing, Bei Yingluo didn't reply but she was blushing from ear to ear.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her to sit down with him, "Since you are the star of the moment, you get the seat of honor beside me."

Xu Lanyi snorted loudly at this, "What seat of honor? More like the seat of... MMMMmm!"

She was quickly silenced by Song Wushuang's forceful hand as the others laughed. They all knew what kind of shenanigans were likely to take place beside him. In their minds, that seat was much more dangerous than fighting in the arena below.

The rest of the competition passed by in a blur. Dinner was served the same way as lunch as the duels lasted into the early evening. Chen Wentian's disciples were called up a few more times to face challenges or to make their challenges but nothing notable happened.

Wu Qianyu challenged a nobody from one of the lesser sects and returned to the ranking pillar with ease. Lin Qingcheng was challenged by a brave soul but his sword was broken after several exchanges. The others that had been challenged continued to employ delaying tactics to great success.

Even the crowd lost most of their energy as the first day dragged on. The only exciting event was the first appearance of Peng Xiling from the Tower of Swords. He was the brightest star beside Wu Qianyu and he was finally challenged by a rival from the Mount Tai Sect of the Four Greats. But after Peng Xiling had defeated his opponent, the crowd once again lost interest and remained like that until the challenger's caldron emptied and there were no more duels to be had.

Immortal Rumbling Blade Hei Shanzhi of the Mount Yun Sect flew into the air. He had taken over hosting duties from the previous one as the sun was setting but now it was already dark.

"This concludes the first day of the Convocation of Swords. Everyone may return to their quarters where you will be provided food, rest, and treatment for any wounds suffered. We shall resume at sunrise tomorrow!" He declared.

Some immortals immediately flew off. Others stayed to walk with their disciples back to their lodgings. Chen Wentian grabbed all of his disciples with his spiritual energy and rose into the air. They floated lazily towards their hotel, giving them a magnificent view of Everblade City.

While the others gazed at the color patterns of bright lanterns, Zhou Ziyun was squinting at her notebook and scribbling away. Chen Wentian produced a ball of flame on his fingertip and gave her some light.

"Results for today?" He asked, peering over her shoulder.

"Mmm." She mumbled.

"How does it look?"

"About as expected. We did well today. All of us ended the day atop the ranking pillar. It doesn't really matter the position, just that we are on it. If we maintain our strategy, we should end the tournament like this."

"What about the other sects?" He asked curiously.

She flipped over several pages and said, "The Tower of Swords is doing the best. They have close to forty people in the rankings. Their numbers may even increase as they have brought double that number in total attendees. The Four Great Sects are also doing well. All four together, they have taken over a hundred slots. The rest are a mixed bag of various sects, too numerous to go over in detail."

"Good." He replied simply.

Everything was within his expectations and his mind had already drifted towards other more important matters.

She looked up from the text and turned to him, "However, I suspect that our opponents will not sit still. We showed our hand today so others may come up with the proper counterattack by tomorrow."

He nodded while thinking about it. He understood her concern. He was usually worrying about random things her like, perhaps even more so.

In the past, when he was cultivating towards the immortal realm, he was constantly on edge, constantly looking out for the next danger that could end his journey. He never slept well at night. He saw shadows of ill-intent in everyone he met. He trusted no one and he never relaxed.

Now that he was an immortal, he felt that those days in his youth had been a miserable existence. His life at the moment was filled with joy. Tonight especially, he was in a very good mood. All of his disciples had done so well and he wanted to reward them.

He wasn't worried about tomorrow. He wasn't motivated to worry about tomorrow. All he cared about was tonight.

His mischievous actions during the day left him frustrated and eager to let loose. He slapped her butt and grinned at her reaction, "Come on, relax. We can worry about tomorrow when tomorrow comes. Tonight is a beautiful night. Let's just enjoy it!"

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