Chapter 23

"Yeah, it's just that the little girl is a bit shy and probably not willing to meet unfamiliar men. These days there are competitions for the little girl. When the time comes, Head Tian and Young Master Tian can go together to watch."

On the second day of the competition, Song Zhixia easily won as usual. However, there were faint glances from the sidelines that made her uncomfortable. With her cultivation at the Foundation Building realm, her senses were keen. When she looked out, she happened to lock eyes with a man dressed in white, smiling at her. Song Zhixia looked at him coldly, finding his gaze oily, involuntarily furrowing her brows.

She quickened her pace to find Song Weizhi. "Senior Sister, let's go. Someone was staring at me in a way that made me uncomfortable."

Song Weizhi, already at the Golden Core realm, used her spiritual qi to scan the surroundings and indeed found a pair of eyes fixed on Song Zhixia. Those eyes seemed glued to her, and upon closer inspection, Song Weizhi quickly identified the person, connecting him to a character from the original book.

In the original story, there was a sleazy character named Tian Junjie who tried to compete with the male lead for the female lead. Later on, he even drugged the female lead and attempted to force himself on her, only to be saved by the male lead.

Unexpectedly, even with so many changes made by Song Weizhi, this sleazy character Tian Junjie still appeared.

"Okay, Xia Xia, don't worry. Senior Sister is here." Song Weizhi comforted Song Zhixia, patting her head.

At this point, Tian Junjie in the distance had also noticed Song Weizhi. His smile became more pronounced as he turned to Song Ruohai beside him. "Head Song, Miss Song is truly exceptional, not only in talent but also in appearance. However, who was that standing beside her just now? With such a cool demeanor, she's also a beautiful and aloof lady. I wonder if Junjie has the honor of marrying both the Flower Goddess and the Moon Goddess?"

At first, Song Ruohai was pleased to hear Tian Junjie's praise for Song Zhixia. However, as Tian Junjie continued, he sensed something amiss. How could Tian Junjie dare to fantasize about marrying both of them? Song Weizhi was the future wife of his son, Song Chaoyun. How could he allow others to have such thoughts?

Song Ruohai quickly responded with a serious tone, "The lady beside my daughter is my son, Song Chaoyun's, fiancée."

Tian Junjie, hearing this, smirked and said, "Ah, that's a bit unfortunate. Since she is the fiancée of Brother Song, I won't dare to think about it. It's already my fortune to know Miss Song."

Song Ruohai, hearing this, finally relaxed.

In the following days, Song Zhixia easily defeated a group of opponents and successfully passed the assessment for outer disciples. The only discomfort she felt was the increasingly explicit gaze of that man.

After all the disciples had been assessed, they gathered in the martial arts arena. Song Ruohai, as the sect leader, announced the names of those who successfully entered the inner sect. Song Zhixia's name was at the top of the list.

After announcing Song Zhixia's name, Song Ruohai spoke with feigned sincerity, "Zhixia's performance in this assessment was outstanding. I am pleased as a father. You have not disappointed me."

Song Zhixia didn't even spare a glance for Song Ruohai. Instead, she looked happily at Song Weizhi beside her and said, "Senior Sister, I am the first."

Holding her little girl's hand, Song Weizhi said, "Yes, my beautiful girl is the best. Didn't you want a reward from Senior Sister? What do you want? Whatever Senior Sister has, I'll give it to you."

Upon hearing about the reward, Song Zhixia's ears turned red. "Um, let's talk about it when we get back."

Song Weizhi was somewhat surprised. It was just a reward; why couldn't they discuss it here? Nevertheless, since her Xia Xia said so, she would listen to her.

After announcing all the names, Song Ruohai continued, "All the new inner disciples will enter the Linlang Secret Realm together with the existing inner disciples. What you gain inside will depend on your efforts. Some disciples from the Zhao and Tian families will also join you. It's best if you can form teams in advance. The Secret Realm is not entirely safe, and having more people together provides mutual support."

After Song Ruohai finished speaking, the disciples below began to discuss:

"Hey, it's perfect. We can team up and ask Huang Xiao for advice," Xu Wenyuan said happily. He hadn't expected to barely make it into the inner sect. After losing to Huang Xiao once, he managed to win a few matches later on.

"Sure, sure," Liang Qin also didn't expect to enter the inner sect with the second-to-last ranking.

The discussions among the disciples gradually quieted down as Song Ruohai continued, "The Secret Realm will open tomorrow. Everyone should go back and make preparations. Tomorrow morning, everyone gathers at the back mountain." After instructing them, Song Ruohai led the disciples away.

Seizing the opportunity, Tian Junjie walked a few steps to Song Weizhi and Song Zhixia. He put on what he thought was a charming face and said with a beaming smile, "I'm Tian Junjie, the senior disciple of the Tian Family. I wonder if I have the honor of teaming up with you two. There might be some ugly exotic beasts in the Secret Realm, and when the time comes, you won't have to dirty your hands—I'll take care of it for you."

Song Weizhi saw that Tian Junjie's behavior was blatant, and his eyes seemed to stick to Song Zhixia. She took a step forward, blocking Song Zhixia, and sneered, "There's no need for that. We won't team up with garbage."

Without paying attention to the sudden change in Tian Junjie's expression, she activated the Lishuo Sword and left with Song Zhixia.

Leaving Tian Junjie alone standing in place, his expression fluctuated between gloom and brightness. He had never been rejected by a woman before, and the fact that she dared to call him garbage nearly made him crush his fists.

Back in the courtyard, Song Zhixia said to Song Weizhi, "Senior Sister, that man's gaze made me feel disgusted.

"Senior Sister knows. Xia Xia, rest assured, Senior Sister won't let him get close to you. You don't need to pay attention to such trash." Song Weizhi comforted her, then remembered something and asked, "So, what reward does Xia Xia want? I'm curious. You didn't want to discuss it in front of others just now."

As soon as this topic came up, Song Zhixia's cheeks visibly turned red. Her peach blossom eyes dared not look at Song Weizhi, and she finally whispered, "It's nothing much, I just want Senior Sister to, um, hug me again."

As Song Zhixia spoke, her voice became quieter and almost inaudible by the end.

"What kind of reward is that? If you want Senior Sister to hug you, just say it directly." Song Weizhi teased, and with a happy smile, she stepped forward, embracing the shy little bunny in her arms.

Song Zhixia, feeling a bit shy, nestled in Song Weizhi's embrace, gently encircling Song Weizhi's waist with her hand. The discomfort from being leered at by the creepy man had completely disappeared. She felt surrounded by Song Weizhi's aura, and Song Zhixia felt a sense of relief throughout her body.

Song Weizhi, holding the little bunny, didn't forget to reach out and touch the small ears of the little bunny. They were bright red and incredibly cute.

Song Zhixia, lying in Song Weizhi's embrace, didn't mind the ear-touching and just hugged Song Weizhi's waist even tighter.

Of course, Song Weizhi also noticed this and playfully teased Song Zhixia, "How much do you Senior Sister to hug this tightly?"

Ignoring the comment, Song Zhixia just buried her head deeper, and the strength of her grip on Song Weizhi's waist didn't diminish. The smile at the corner of Song Weizhi's eyes deepened. It seemed that her little junior sister was getting even more attached to her. Song Weizhi couldn't help but feel even happier.

After hugging for a while, the little girl spoke in her arms, "Senior Sister, how about just the two of us teaming up inside the Secret Realm? I don't want anyone else."

It turned out the little girl was afraid of teaming up with others. Song Weizhi smiled and said, "Originally, it was just the two of us. Who else would you want to team up with?"

"I just want to be with Senior Sister." Song Zhixia said shyly. It turned out Senior Sister had the same idea. Song Zhixia couldn't help but feel that her heart was sweeter than honey.

When Song Weizhi returned to her room, the system's mechanical voice echoed in her mind again, [The female lead has successfully passed the outer disciple assessment, rewarding the host with 100 points. The current host points are 750. Please continue to work hard.]

Song Weizhi thought she should hold off on exchanging the points for now, keeping them as a backup for herself and Song Zhixia.

Before Song Weizhi could think of anything else, a sound transmission talisman arrived. Song Chaoyun was already waiting for her outside the courtyard. Seeing Song Weizhi coming out, he immediately approached, "Junior Sister, I've collected a lot of good pills for nourishing qi and replenishing blood. Since we are about to enter the Secret Realm, I brought some for you. By the way, Junior Sister, I think you probably haven't teamed up with anyone yet. How about teaming up with me? We used to be siblings, and even if we're not now, we shouldn't be estranged, right?"

Song Weizhi just looked at Song Chaoyun with a cold gaze, fully aware of his intentions. "There's no need. I already have a partner. I won't need your help."

Song Chaoyun didn't expect Song Zhixia to refuse so decisively. Despite maintaining a smile on his face, he continued, "Junior Sister, I'm your real brother. I have no ill intentions; I just want to team up together."

"No need. I can't afford to climb so high. Senior Sister and I want to team up, and I don't need your concern." Song Zhixia coldly looked at Song Chaoyun, ignoring his words.

Song Chaoyun didn't expect Song Zhixia to reject him so decisively. After all, their relationship had been good before. He maintained a smile on his face and continued, "Junior Sister, why not team up with my sister? It might be inconvenient for two girls to enter the Secret Realm alone. Join us, and I can also protect both you and Zhixia." Song Chaoyun considered his words refined, thinking that Song Weizhi would give him face.

Without waiting for Song Weizhi's response, Song Zhixia hurriedly ran out of the room and stood beside Song Weizhi. She looked coldly at Song Chaoyun and said, "We don't need your care. I grew up in the village, and I can handle all kinds of tasks. I will naturally take care of Senior Sister. You don't need to worry."

This saved Song Weizhi from the trouble of responding. She looked with more interest at Song Zhixia standing in front of her. It seemed her little bunny would also protect her? Song Weizhi felt somewhat gratified.

"Zhixia, I am your real brother. I have no ill intentions; I just want to team up together." Song Chaoyun wanted to continue his persuasion.

"No need. I can't afford to climb so high. Senior Sister also told me she only wants to team up with me. You don't need to embarrass yourself." Song Zhixia coldly glanced at Song Chaoyun, completely ignoring his words.

Watching from the side, Song Weizhi suddenly found her little bunny's protective stance quite cute.

Sure enough, in the next moment, Song Chaoyun's face darkened, but it was only a momentary change. Soon, he put on a faint smile and said, "Since it's like this, if you need anything inside the Secret Realm, just let me know, and I'll be at your service."