49- The enemity

As Zhong Peng arrived at the arena of the cloud gathering contest, accompanying the Duan clan, the size of onlookers was significantly larger than those of the previous day.

With a gaze toward the location where Elder Liang and Lin Daiyu had stayed the day before, Zhong Peng noticed their absence.

Notably, Elder Zheng Wei and Zheng Hongyi had yet to arrive.

Zhong Peng was aware that they would be the last to appear, signaling the commencement of the contest.

Along with Elder Duanmu and the rest of the contestants of the Duan clan, Zhong Peng proceeded toward the designated seating area reserved for the Duan clan.

During their approach toward their assigned seats, Zhong Peng caught sight of a familiar figure he had seen the previous day at the pub.

This person was accompanied by Chen Wei and other members of the Cloud Moon Sect.

Not far from them, Zhong Peng also observed Lin Feng and the members of the Sun Moon Sect.

As Zhong Peng observed the gathering of the Cloud Moon Sect and the Sun Moon Sect, he couldn't help but recall the wager that Chen Wei and Lin Feng had made the previous day.

He found himself pondering over which of the two would ultimately end up losing the bet.

Zhong Peng's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a commotion that had arisen nearby.

As he turned his attention toward the source of the disturbance, he noticed the same young man he had seen walking behind Zheng Hongyi the day before.

Accompanying him were nine disciples from the Zheng Imperial Clan.

The young man's countenance remained unchanged from the previous day - aloof and regal, with a hint of coldness.

"Zheng Junjie, the winner of the previous Cloud Gathering Contest," murmured Xiao Se. Although his voice was not particularly loud, it was still audible enough for Zhong Peng and the other members of the Duan Clan to hear.

When Zhong Peng had seen the young man accompanying Zheng Hongyi the day before and heard about the previous winner of the Cloud Gathering Contest from Zhou Shun, he had already made a connection and assumed that the young man was Zheng Junjie.

However, upon laying his eyes on him today, he found that Zheng Junjie did not quite match the image he had imagined - there was no air of arrogance around him.

Despite this, Zhong Peng knew better than to make any hasty judgments and decided to reserve his opinions for later.

Zhong Peng inadvertently turned towards Duan Xue and was taken aback by the expression on her face.

Her visage was contorted with anger, her cheeks flushed with redness, and she was gritting her teeth while glaring intensely at Zheng Junjie.

If looks could kill, Zheng Junjie would have perished a thousand times over.

Zhong Peng was surprised by the intensity of Duan Xue's anger towards Zheng Junjie.

Zheng Junjie came to a halt before Elder Duanmu and performed a deep bow, accompanied by a disciple from the illustrious Zheng imperial clan standing behind him.

"Greetings, Elder Duanmu," they all reverberated in unison. Zheng Junjie then spoke up with a beaming smile on his face, "I trust that you have been well-accommodated during your stay in the Zheng imperial clan."

"Zheng Junjie, you have matured into a person of great respect and character. Your father must be exceedingly proud of you," Elder Duanmu remarked, reciprocating the sentiment with a warm grin as he gave Zheng Junjie a hearty pat on the shoulder.

"Elder Duanmu, your words of praise are too kind," Zheng Junjie replied with a broad smile.

"I am looking forward to witnessing your performance in the upcoming Cloud Gathering Contest," Elder Duanmu said with a smile.

"I shall endeavor not to disappoint you, Elder Duanmu," Zheng Junjie replied with a smile.

Then, turning to Duan Xue, whose anger had reached boiling point, he greeted her with a polite nod and said, "It is a pleasure to see you again, Duan Xue. How have you fared since our last encounter?" He continued speaking, seemingly unfazed by her anger.

"Good," Duan Xue replied curtly, her voice dry and laced with anger.

"Why must she behave in such a manner? He merely defeated her. What is the reason for her hostility?" Zhong Peng mused to himself, taken aback by Duan Xue's behavior towards Zheng Junjie.

As if sensing Zhong Peng's thoughts, Xiao Se leaned in closer to him and whispered in his ear. "During the last Cloud Gathering Contest, Zheng Junjie defeated Duan Xue. As the most beloved child of the Duan Clan leader, she has always been prideful and believed herself to be unbeatable. When Zheng Junjie defeated her, it dealt a blow to her pride," Xiao Se explained. "I had thought that her moving to a big sect would open her eyes to the vastness of the world, but it seems like I thought wrong it appears that some individuals cannot be easily replaced. Her resentment towards Zheng Junjie seems to have intensified," Xiao Se added.