A slight bitterness filled Si Fanqing’s heart. He pursed his lips, didn’t respond, and turned with a cold face towards the courtyard.

Cong Yue had repeatedly deceived and tricked him, using him for amusement.  He was helpless, only able to stew in his own anger.

Even his once formidable spiritual pet, raised by Cong Yue as a kitten for over ten years, had lost its ferocity, truly resembling a cat.

As Si Fanqing walked back, he couldn’t help but mentally list Cong Yue’s many offenses.  He looked up and the spiritual pet, meowing, leaped from the window. He reached out to catch it, but missed.

“Kitten!”

The pet went straight past him and into Cong Yue’s arms.  Seeing Cong Yue’s delighted expression, Si Fanqing’s frustration intensified. He averted his gaze, avoiding both the pet and its newly adopted owner.

The next day, Ji Yunqing summoned the members of the sect to discuss studying at Qingyun Sect.  Qingyun Sect’s Sect Master, Chu Tianlan, had extremely high cultivation and rich practical experience.  To jointly fight against the demons, the major sects intended to send their talented disciples there to learn.

Si Fanqing was tasked with leading over ten juniors, departing early the next morning.

They arrived at Qingyun Sect late in the evening. Sect Master Chu had people explain the lecture arrangements. After dinner, everyone rested.

Sect Master Chu intended to test the abilities of the disciples from various sects. Before the hunt, he arranged for the disciples to compete in archery; the winners could enter first.

Cong Yue stood beside Sixth Senior Sister, eager to try. Seeing this, Sixth Senior Sister felt a pang of longing. She had been seriously injured as a child, damaging her foundation, and hadn’t touched a weapon in over ten years. She usually practiced only using incantations.

“Sixth Senior Sister, why don’t you try?” Cong Yue encouraged her.

Sixth Senior Sister longed to try, but seeing the large number of participants, all outstanding disciples from various sects, she hesitated.

“Cong Yue, you go.” Seeing a Qingyun Sect disciple hand over a bow and arrow, Sixth Senior Sister stepped back, pushing Cong Yue forward.

Cong Yue took the bow and arrow, testing the feel in her hands. She felt good about it.  She said something to Sixth Senior Sister, then glanced at Little Junior Uncle, dressed in snow-white robes, standing among the onlookers with his hands behind his back.  On either side were the other senior brothers and sisters from Jingyue Sect.

However, a red bird feather was inexplicably in his hair, very striking, likely a prank from someone, clashing with his plain white robes. Cong Yue couldn’t help but smile and look at him a few more times.

Perhaps her turning was too obvious, attracting Si Fanqing’s attention. Or perhaps Si Fanqing’s gaze was already on his juniors; as soon as Cong Yue turned, he noticed her.

In any case, as soon as she turned to look at Si Fanqing, she met his gaze.  A sudden nervousness arose in her heart, and Cong Yue quickly looked away, taking a few hasty steps forward, becoming clumsy.

“Jingyue Sect.” A Qingyun Sect disciple called out loudly, signaling her to come forward.

Cong Yue stepped forward, suddenly feeling the bow and arrow in her hands much heavier. Her fingers were weak, and she couldn’t pull the bowstring.

Suddenly, a “whoosh” sound was heard, the arrow leaving the bowstring, grazing the edge of the target and hitting a willow tree behind it, causing the leaves to rustle.

A burst of laughter erupted, disciples from various sects whispering and craning their necks to look at Cong Yue.

The Qingyun Sect disciple who had handed over the bow and arrow almost couldn’t help but laugh. A younger disciple patted his shoulder, laughing uproariously, “Senior Brother, just laugh! Jingyue Sect actually sent a disciple who can’t even hit the target, what a disgrace!”

Cong Yue felt a little angry. She had been distracted when she shot the arrow, and by the time she saw the target, the arrow had already left the bowstring.  Hearing the other party belittle Jingyue Sect, she felt very uncomfortable.  Maintaining a non-confrontational attitude, Cong Yue gritted her teeth and endured it.

Sixth Senior Sister, always quick-tempered, was furious when she heard the other party belittling Cong Yue. She grabbed Cong Yue’s wrist, shielding her, and pointed at the Qingyun Sect disciple who was grinning from ear to ear, “Apologize to her.”

The other party didn’t respond, but carefully looked her up and down, then raised an eyebrow and laughed even harder, “I know you.”  He pointed at Sixth Senior Sister, raising his voice, “Two years ago, you came to Qingyun Sect to study, looking presentable, but you’re a waste who can’t even lift a sword.”

“Junior Brother, be careful what you say!” The Qingyun Sect’s senior brother immediately stopped him.

These words were like pouring cold water into a pot of boiling oil, causing a huge stir.

The sharp words pierced Sixth Senior Sister’s heart. Lu Qing had been seriously injured as a child, damaging her spiritual power, preventing her from wielding a sword, and relying entirely on incantations.

This reckless Qingyun Sect disciple had touched her sore spot. Lu Qing raised her hand to punch him, but Cong Yue tightly grabbed her wrist.

The Qingyun Sect disciple sneered, his gaze falling on Cong Yue’s hand, still unrestrained, his sarcastic words spilling out, “Jingyue Sect is truly running out of talent, sending a bunch of timid wastes as talented disciples, against the demons, they’ll just be going to die…”

“Slap!” Before he could finish his sentence, he received a slap in the face, the force considerable, a red and swollen handprint appearing on his originally pale face.

“You…” The other party, furious with shame, lunged forward to retaliate. Cong Yue, quick-witted, grabbed his arm and threw him far away.

The commotion grew, quickly attracting the attention of those around them. Si Fanqing pushed through the crowd, quickly arriving, stopping Cong Yue from strangling the other person, and pulling Lu Qing’s arm to prevent her from joining the fight.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Si Fanqing said sternly, in the blink of an eye, such a big commotion could erupt.

“He…” Cong Yue was furious, pointing at the Qingyun Sect disciple, but before she could speak, Si Fanqing lightly slapped her hand, “No need to say more.”

Cong Yue, having been hit by Little Junior Uncle, pursed her lips, feeling wronged.

Both sides’ elders took their juniors back to their rooms to reprimand them.

As soon as she stepped into the room, Cong Yue couldn’t hold back, and she recounted the Qingyun Sect disciple’s misdeeds.  She blinked, staring at Si Fanqing, hoping for justice.

Si Fanqing didn’t respond, asking instead, “Who started it?”

“I did.” Cong Yue admitted her mistake, trying to explain, “He was rude, he cursed…” Seeing Little Junior Uncle’s face growing colder, her accusation stopped abruptly.

Sixth Senior Sister cried, sobbing, “He said I… he said I can’t even lift a sword, that I’m a waste. That’s why Cong Yue hit him.”

Everyone in Jingyue Sect knew Lu Qing’s situation, and no one treated her differently because of it, but Lu Qing herself was somewhat sensitive about it, especially when the other party repeatedly mentioned her inability to wield a sword.

Si Fanqing’s expression softened slightly, and he asked Third Senior Brother to take Lu Qing back to rest. Watching them leave, Si Fanqing turned his gaze to Cong Yue.

“Do you know you’re wrong?”

Cong Yue looked at him, her eyes watery, “Little Junior Uncle, I’m not wrong. It’s a pity I didn’t kill him.”

Si Fanqing hadn’t been angry, but after hearing this, he couldn’t help but get angry.  Suppressing his emotions, he lowered his voice, “You’re not wrong? You hit someone first, you are wrong, there’s no excuse.”

With her stubborn temper flaring up, Cong Yue became reckless, “He called us all wastes from Jingyue Sect. I didn’t tear his mouth apart or pull out his tongue, I’m being lenient…”

Si Fanqing sighed softly, trying to speak calmly, “These… are not reasons for you to hit someone. What are rules for? We came to Qingyun Sect to study, not to make enemies.”

“He cursed first, why can’t I hit him? Little Junior Uncle, I’m not wrong, why are you scolding me?” She stared at Si Fanqing with a pitiful expression, tears welling up in her red eyes, looking truly wronged.

Si Fanqing was startled and didn’t respond. He wasn’t scolding Cong Yue, but rather asked her kindly, “Why did this happen?” His tone softened.

Why did this happen?  This reminded Cong Yue. She blinked, unable to speak for a while.

Si Fanqing, seeing her calm down, continued, “You don’t focus on cultivation, you’re not skilled; you don’t know the rules when you go out, do you know you’re wrong?”

After hearing Little Junior Uncle’s reprimand, Cong Yue felt a mix of resentment, grievance, and distress.  Various emotions welled up, her nose sour, a few tears falling, her voice choked.

“Little Junior Uncle, are you blaming me?”

Si Fanqing was suddenly flustered. He meant to make Cong Yue realize that hitting someone first was wrong, not to blame her.  His tone had been a bit harsh, hurting her feelings.

“Cong Yue, don’t cry,” Si Fanqing, slightly flustered, said softly.

She wasn’t allowed to cry even though she was wronged.

Hearing this, Cong Yue felt even more wronged, increasingly distressed. She didn’t respond, staring at Si Fanqing with her dark, bright eyes, tears falling like pearls.

Si Fanqing approached her, reaching out to wipe away her tears.  Perhaps feeling it was inappropriate, he took a step back, saying cautiously, “I’m not blaming you, stop crying first.”

“You hit me in front of everyone,” Cong Yue suddenly raised her voice, her accusation immediate.

Si Fanqing was startled, slightly hesitant, “When did I hit you?”

Cong Yue extended the hand he had lightly slapped, “Look!”

Si Fanqing subconsciously looked. Her fingers were slender and well-proportioned, her skin fair and clear, showing no signs of being hit. Unlike the slap she gave the Qingyun Sect disciple, whose cheek was swollen, anyone would have exclaimed, “What a skillful hand!”